Fully Alive
by Arin DeStruction
Summary: Mrs. Hudson's granddaughter comes to live with her. Sherlock says he doesn't remember her, but she does remember him. She quickly finds herself wrapped up in the craziness that is Sherlock Holmes once more. She keeps him human. He keeps her sane (when he's not breaking into her flat in the middle of the night).
1. Chapter 1

**Fully Alive**

**Chapter One**

Vivienne Hudson walked in the door of 221b Baker Street with a sigh. She had done more travelling in a day than she had done in a long time. And with her flight delay, she had spent much more time in an airport than she ever intended to. She shut the door behind her and turned to make make her way up the stairs, only to trip over a rug that hadn't been there the last time she had visited.

"Goddamn it." She swore, trying to get her bearings to make it to the stairs.

"Hello?" A confused voice came from up the stairs. Vivienne could hear footsteps nearing the hallway.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you. Gran didn't warn me about a new rug. I wasn't paying attention." Vivienne smiled as the footsteps neared her down the steps.

The woman's American accent had thrown John off guard. "Quite alright. You must be... Vivienne? I had forgotten Mrs. Hudson had said she was going to have a visitor."

"And you're Dr. Watson." Vivienne knew it wasn't Sherlock Holmes. His voice wasn't deep enough and he was much too kind.

"You can just call me John." He took a moment to look the girl over. She was in her late 20s, tan, with shocking ice blue eyes and long, pastel purple hair. A small nose piercing accentuated her face And she had multiple earrings in each ear.

"She's told me a lot about you." The hallway was dark, so she couldn't see much of John, barely an outline of him really, but she assumed he looked as kind as he sounded.

"Has she now?" Vivienne could hear the smile in John's voice. "Here. Let me take your luggage. I believe Mrs. Hudson is up in her flat."

"Oh, thank you." Vivienne followed the sound of John's footsteps and carefully made it to the stairs. She gripped the handrail and tentatively made her way up to get grandmother's.

John knocked once and opened the door. "Mrs. Hudson? You have a guest."

"Oh! She was supposed to let me know when she arrived at the airport." Mrs. Hudson walked into her sitting room. "Viv, why didn't you let me know you had landed?"

"I can manage, Gran." Vivienne smiled. "I love what you've done with the place." She winked at her gran, who tutted.

"It's the same as the last time you were here." Mrs. Hudson shook her head, laughing a bit. "John, would you like to stay for a cuppa?"

John had sat Vivienne's bags down and was making his way to the door. "Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude. You had mentioned it had been a while since you'd seen each other."

"Nonsense, John." Vivienne interjected. "I don't mind and if she's offering, obviously she doesn't either. Besides, it would be nice to get to know my gran's favorite tenant."

"Now don't go and and spill all of my secrets!" Mrs. Hudson swatted Vivienne playfully on the arm as they made their way to the kitchen. "You know, you're just in time to help me make some goodies for the boy's Christmas party tomorrow."

"Right. You had mentioned a party. How is Mr. Holmes, by the way?"

"You know Sherlock?" John asked as they took seats at the table and Mrs. Hudson went to fetch her kettle.

"I wouldn't say I know him. We met briefly a few years ago. I'm sure he doesn't remember me." Vivienne waved the question off as Mrs. Hudson sat tea cups in front of the pair.

"Right, okay." John nodded.

The outside door slammed and they could hear someone mumbling as they stomped up the stairs.

"Speak of the devil, yeah?" John stood up. "I should go. God knows what's got him all riled up."

Vivienne smiled from her seat. "It was nice meeting you, John. I'll see you tomorrow night."

John smiled and made a quick exit as the sounds of breaking glass came from his living room.

Mrs. Hudson took John's seat and placed her hand on her granddaughter's. "You know you can stay up here with instead of the basement. I wouldn't mind it one bit."

Vivienne smiled knowingly. "Gran, come on. I have to gain some independence at some point. Before I completely have to rely on someone for the rest of my life."

"Are you sure? I can call Kati. I'm sure she'd come stay with you until you were comfortable." Mrs. Hudson took a drink of her tea with a concerned look on her face.

"Kati has been taking care of me for far too long. I'm okay. Stop worrying." Vivienne gave her Gran a confident smile. "I can manage. I hope."

" Nonsense. You know I'll never stop worrying. I haven't your entire life and you can't make me quit now." Mrs. Hudson sighed. "Now come help me make a pie."

" Only if you promise brownies afterwards." Vivienne grinned.

"Of course, deary. Anything you want."

Vivienne stood up and Mrs. Hudson followed, wrapping her arms around her granddaughter.

" I'm glad you're here."

" I am, too, Gran. It's been too long." Vivienne smiled and kissed Mrs. Hudson on the cheek. "Now, pie."

Mrs. Hudson laughed. "Oh, you. Someone mentions food and you get a one track mind."

"I get it from your side of the family. And don't deny it." Vivienne laughed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Fully Alive**

**Chapter Two**

Vivienne followed her grandmother down the stairs to John and Sherlock's apartment carefully holding a tray laden with Christmas cookies. They entered the open door and John greeted them warmly.

"Merry Christmas, Vivienne, Mrs. Hudson. Can I help at all?" John asked brightly.

"Just guide me to where I can sit this down and that'll be great." Vivienne smiled, not wanting more help than necessary.

"Just right into the kitchen then."

Vivienne's eyes widened widened a bit when she realized John wasn't going to lead her there. She was about to say something when a deep, piercing voice rang through the air.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, John. Can't you see she's blind?!"

The conversations that had been floating through the apartment stopped suddenly and John began stumbling over his words.

Vivienne decided to try and cut the obvious tension. "I'm WHAT?!" She shrieked. "Oh, my god. Gran, did you know I was blind? Why didn't you tell me?" She sighed dramatically. "I think I have to go lie down now. This revelation has been just too much."

Mrs. Hudson swatted Vivienne on the hip, trying not to laugh. "Enough, dear. You've made your point."

Vivienne shrugged. "I'm not particularly fond of my afflictions being shouted about in a room full of people I don't know, Mr. Holmes. So, if you would refrain from that in the future, I'd greatly appreciate it."

"How'd she even know it was me? She can't even see me." Sherlock mumbled.

"But I _can _hear you. And I don't think anyone else in this room, or possibly even the world, would be that big of an asshole."

John groaned as Sherlock stepped closer. "Here. I'll take these." He took the tray of cookies and walked away.

"And just who are you?" Sherlock asked as he stepped into Vivienne's space.

"We have met before, Mr. Holmes. When you got my grandfather executed. Should I be offended that you deleted me from your precious Mind Palace?"

"I delete lots of unimportant things. So, you're Mrs. Hudson's granddaughter... Pardon if I don't remember your name." Sherlock paused. "Was it... Kaitlin? Or something just as boring."

Vivienne couldn't help but laugh.

Mrs. Hudson walked by and stuck a wine glass in her hand. "You're going to need this."

"Of course you'd remember Kati. No one forgets her. She was my roommate. My name, Mr. Holmes, starts with a V. And rhymes with 'Livienne'."

"Ah, Vivienne. Sorry. Still don't remember."

"Don't apologize when you don't mean it." Vivienne felt a presence to her left and turned a bit. "John, please don't feel put out that you didn't notice. I don't exactly shout it from the rooftops."

"How'd you know it was me?" John asked. "Sorry, just curious. You can see a bit, then?"

" Of course she can't." Sherlock began. "She-"

But Vivienne interrupted him. "I can see shapes, actually. Most everything is different shades of gray, but I can distinguish things if they're close enough. And your cologne got stronger when you got closer. I'm kind of like a drug dog. Everyone smells different." She She took a sip of her wine and waited for the inevitable questions that followed.

" Have you been this way your whole life?"

"Of course she has, John." Sherlock answered.

"_Actually_, I haven't. I had an accident when I was young. Hit my head and woke up blind." Vivienne answered like she was reading from a script.

"Someone is off their game tonight." John chuckled.

"Excuse me." Sherlock stalked off, presumably to go embarrass someone else.

"Well, that was fun." Vivienne laughed. "Poor guy. Must hurt to be wrong that many times in a row."

John began to laugh but stopped when he heard Sherlock's voice overpowering someone else. "I'm sorry. Have to go rescue someone else."

Vivienne sipped her wine as she heard a small voice reply to Sherlock saying "You always say such horrible things..."

_Well, at least it's not just me._ Vivienne thought.

The Christmas party went off without another hitch, unless you count Sherlock running off early, and Vivienne made her way down to her apartment full of wine and snacks a few hours later.

xxxxx

A small noise jerked Vivienne from her sleep and without even opening her eyes, she realized she wasn't alone in her living room.

"You know, most people knock before they enter someone's home, Mr. Holmes."

"Most people don't sleep on their couches."

"My bed hasn't been delivered yet."

How'd you know it was me?" Sherlock took it upon himself to take a seat in the chair across from the couch.

"You smell like Old Spice and cigarettes." Vivienne sat up and wrapped her blanket tighter around herself. "My apologies if I don't offer to get you a drink. But it's 3 in the morning. And I'm also not wearing pants. I mean... Sleep pants. Pajama bottoms. Why do you call underwear 'pants'? Underwear is not pants. Pants are pants."

Sherlock ignored Vivienne's rambling. "Your blindness, it's psychosomatic."

"Did you really break in at three in the morning to tell me what I already know? That I'm practically an invalid and it's all in my head? You're a bit late to that party, Holmes." Vivienne ran her hands through her hair.

"What kind of accident did you have? I can't quite figure that one out."

"You heard me tell John. I hit my head." Vivienne shrugged.

" If you're going to lie, learn how to lie better." Sherlock sounded bored.

"You really want to know?"

"I'm not a fan of not knowing."

"When I was eight, an associate of my grandfather's kidnapped me. They held me for a week. When the ransom was being paid, they knocked me out so I couldn't tell anyone where they had brought me to the drop point from. I woke up blind from the damage to my brain. My brain healed, my eyes didn't. End of story. My doctor says that at the rate my eyesight is deteriorating, I'll be completely in the dark sometime in the next seven years."

"So, get out of your head. Simple as that." Sherlock sounded so sure of himself.

"Twenty years of blindness and you don't think I've tried that? Everyone thinks I'm crazy because I'm getting worse. And maybe I am." Vivienne shrugged.

"Of course you are." Sherlock stated. "You have psychosomatic blindness. Obviously you're crazy."

"Do you really not remember me?"

"No." Sherlock stood suddenly. "Well, I'll let you get back to sleep."

"Where'd you run off to? You smell like a hospital." Vivienne wasn't quite ready to let him go yet.

"I had business to take care of." Sherlock paused. "Why did you leave Florida?"

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. "Why are you having secret rendezvous in hospitals?"

" Touché. Goodnight, Miss Hudson."

Vivienne nodded. "Goodnight, Mr. Holmes."


	3. Chapter 3

**Fully Alive**

**Chapter Three**

_The salty ocean air was cold against Vivienne's skin. In hindsight, her crocheted bikini top and wrap skirt probably weren't a good idea. She wrapped her arms around herself and tried to picture Sherlock standing in front of her. His jacket was gone, forgotten on the sand. His bow tie was hanging limply around his neck from where he had hastily untied it. Vivienne had undone the top three buttons on his dress shirt before he had stopped her to drop a bombshell on her and she had struggled to stand up away from him._

_She tried to imagine his face. His striking cheekbones. His sharp jawline. The salt in the air curling his hair even more than usual. She imagined that he was pursing his lips. _

_The image in her head was damn near perfect._

_"Say something." Vivienne swallowed back tears. _

_"I'm leaving." Sherlock's voice seemed oddly placed in the somber setting. Too deep. Almost full of emotion. Yet, it was wrong. "What else am I supposed to say?"_

_"That you're joking. That you picked a terrible moment to play a joke on me. Anything."_

_"You knew I would have to go back at some point. Your grandfather got the death penalty. My work here is done." Sherlock took a step towards Vivienne and she flinched backwards. "I don't understand why you are getting so emotional."_

_Vivienne closed her eyes and finally let the tears fall. "I didn't think-"_

_"Yes, obviously, you didn't think." Sherlock sighed. _

_"I didn't think I'd fall in love with you, you ass!" Vivienne stomped her foot, with little effect. She clenched her hands into fists, pressing her nails into her palm. _

_"Love is-" _

_"Shut up." _

_"Vivienne..."_

_"I said shut the fuck up, Holmes."_

_Without warning, Sherlock stepped forward and grabbed Vivienne around the waist. He pulled her to him and pressed his lips to hers, digging his fingers into her hips. Vivienne could feel a wetness on Sherlock's cheek when she raised her hand to it and her stomach clenched. She wiped the tear streak away with her thumb. _

_"Love, Vivienne, is a serious disadvantage." Sherlock stated when he pulled away, keeping his hands on her hips. _

_"I know." Vivienne replied. "Don't cry..." She whispered. _

_"You are." Sherlock pressed his lips to Vivienne's forehead. "My plane leaves day after tomorrow."_

_Vivienne nodded. "Can I ask you something?"_

_"Anything."_

_"Do you love me?" Vivienne wrapped her arms around Sherlock's waist and buried her head in his chest. _

_"Vivienne, I-"_

_"Just answer the question, Holmes." _

_Sherlock hesitated, looking for the right way to phrase his answer. But nothing sounded good enough. "You know I do." _

_"Okay. Then, I guess this is goodbye. I don't think we should see each other tomorrow." Vivienne started to let go, but Sherlock wouldn't let her. He wasn't going to leave her standing alone on a beach. How cliché. _

_"Come back to my hotel room tonight. We can say goodbye in the morning." _

_Vivienne furrowed her brow. "Do you think that's a good idea?"_

_"I think it's one of the best ideas I've ever had."_

xxxxx

A door slammed open and shook Vivienne from her flashback of a dream. She sat up quickly and rubbed her eyes, as her nostrils were invaded with the smell of Old Spice.

"What the hell is your problem?" Vivienne fixed the strap on her tank top and shook her head.

"I have a case and John is busy- You still don't have a bed? It's been over a week."

"Don't remind me. But _thank god_ my piano arrived. Maybe I'll start sleeping on my piano bench." Vivienne yawned. "Why do you need me if you have a case?"

"Well, more specifically, I need your nose. I've just came from the crime scene and there's something I can't quite put my finger on. And seeing as your nose is attached to you, I need you to come. With me. To the crime scene." Sherlock cleared his throat. Vivienne assumed he was also blushing slightly.

"Are you saying you left a crime scene to come get me? They let you do that?"

"I don't technically work for the Yard. They don't tell me what I can and can't do. Well, Lestrade tries. Hurry up. I have a taxi waiting."

" Fine. Five minutes." Vivienne stood up from her spot on the couch and stretched.

"You aren't wearing Pajama bottoms. Again."

Vivienne shrugged and smiled. "Oops." She walked towards her bedroom. "Stop showing up uninvited and it wouldn't be a problem."

Seven minutes later, Vivienne walked out of her room in jeans, a simple violet t-shirt that matched her hair, ballet flats, and her want hair pulled into an almost-expert top knot.

"You're slow. You said five minutes."

"I'm _terribly_ sorry. My hair wouldn't cooperate." Vivienne rolled her eyes. She stuck out her elbow, waiting for Sherlock to take it and lead her to the cab. "Our chariot awaits us, sir."

Sherlock helped Vivienne into the backseat and climbed in next to her. The ride to the crime scene was relatively quiet until Sherlock spoke a few minutes later. "Is your piano tuned?" He asked, curiously.

"Is that a metaphor?" Vivienne raised an eyebrow.

"What? No. Absolutely not." Sherlock scoffed.

"Oh. Then, yes, my piano is tuned. Why do you ask?"

"Never mind that. We're here." The cab came to a stop and Sherlock leapt out of the seat.

Vivienne waited for a moment before realizing what had happened. "Sherlock Holmes! Get back here! I have no idea where we are!"

Sherlock appeared back at the door. "My apologies." He took Vivienne by the hand and helped her out of the cab. She straightened her clothes out and he offered his elbow for her to take hold of.

"No visitors at the crime scene, freak. This isn't a museum." Said a voice that Vivienne didn't recognize.

"Who is that? And why is she calling you a freak?" Whether or not Sherlock had decided to forget her, Vivienne was still fiercely loyal and protective of him. "Is that that a woman? Because she kind of smells like a man." Vivienne quipped as they walked past.

"That's Donovan. Don't worry about her. Her deodorant is worse than her bite." Sherlock chuckled at his own joke. "We're at some stairs. Watch your step. I already cleared it with Lestrade that you're here. Just don't touch anything."

"I'm going to touch everything in sight." Vivienne deadpanned, hanging on to Sherlock and the handrail.

"Ah, Vivienne. Sherlock said he was going to get you." Lestrade interrupted before Sherlock had time to process the joke. "Come on, then. Sherlock, you know where the body is."

The three walked down a long hallway before Sherlock redirected Vivienne to the left. As they came through a doorway, she was hit with the overwhelming smell of copper. She released Sherlock's arm and bit her lip. "What am I needed here for? My nose is going to be useless with all of this blood."

"No, it won't be. You can do it. Just separate everything apart. All the different smells."

"Who all is in this room?" Vivienne asked, closing her eyes.

"Just us, Lestrade, and the body."

Vivienne nodded and breathed in deeply.

_Copper. Body. _

_Old Spice. Sherlock. _

_Drakkar Noir. Lestrade._

Sherlock and Lestrade stated in wonder at Vivienne in her trance-like state.

_Honey._

_Lavender. The body was a woman, wearing a quite expensive lotion. _

_A perfume she couldn't quite place..._

Then, it hit her.

"Is that Chanel No.5?" Vivienne asked, opening her eyes. "And the lotion she's wearing. I can't think of the name, but it's expensive. Like, $300-for-an-ounce expensive."

"Of course! Oh, you're brilliant. See, Lestrade. I told you I needed her." Sherlock grabbed Vivienne by the arm and began to drag her out of the room. "Come on. We have a crime to solve."

Vivienne began to protest, but Sherlock shushed her. "Sorry. I'll be quiet. You're being clever. I'll leave you to it. Just don't leave me stranded anywhere."

xxxxx

Vivienne and Sherlock made their way through the door of 221, after a day of running around London to solve a murder.

"Bring your violin down later. We'll play together."

Sherlock smiled a bit. "Alright."

He walked up the stairs to his flat and she went down the stairs to hers. Sherlock sighed as he walked through his door and noticed John in his chair.

"Oh. John. You're home." Sherlock slipped his coat off and hung it up.

"Was that Vivienne you were talking to? Are you smiling?" John furrowed his brow.

"She helped me solve a case. You were busy." Sherlock shrugged as he began pulling open random cabinets.

"Sherlock. Stop!" John shouted.

"WHAT?!" Sherlock yelled back. "I'm sorry. Yes, John?"

"You remember her, don't you?"

"Of course I do, John. Do you think I'm a idiot?" Sherlock sat down in his chair across from John.

"Then, why did you tell her you didn't? She was devastated."

"What? No, she wasn't." Sherlock paused. "Was she really?" The look on John's face told Sherlock that he wasn't lying. "Well, she should have expected it."

"Sherlock."

"You really want to know?" Sherlock rolled his eyes.

John just raised an eyebrow, waiting.

"Fine. She's... She's the reason I'm married to my job. We had a- a thing... While I was working her grandfather's case." Sherlock rubbed his eyes. "I made a mistake, John."

"What would that be?" John was beginning to feel bad for Sherlock.

"I left her. I shouldn't have. I loved her and I left her."

"How long has it been?" John sat his laptop down.

"Eight years. I can't take it back now. It's too late. And it's just easier this way."

"Easier for who? You? Or her?"

Sherlock shrugged.

"I'll tell you who, Sherlock. Neither of you."

Sherlock scoffed and pulled out a cigarette. He stared at it for a minute before standing up. "What do you know?"

"Well, I think I know a bit more about relationships than you do." John mumbled as Sherlock slammed the door leading outside.

xxxxx

**A/N: **Thanks everyone for reading! I'm trying to keep in character as much as I can, but let me know if I go too far off the road. And don't forget to review, follow, and favorite! Also, I think Sherlock in the show is supposed to be around 35? But fuor the sake of my time line and Vivienne's age (28), I'm making him only 30. :)

And** Penelope Zozes**, thank you for my first review! I also hope this helps with why he said he didn't remember her. Honestly, I was struggling a bit about where to put this in and you kind of inspired me!


	4. Chapter 4

**Fully Alive**

**Chapter Four**

Vivienne stomped up the stairs to Sherlock's flat, pausing only to make sure his door was open. "What is that godawful smell?! It's about to run me out of the building!" She asked, storming in. "Are you burning flesh in here?"

"It's an experiment. Did someone say you could come in? Is John here?" Sherlock walked out of the kitchen info the sitting room.

"No. Your door was open." Vivienne began, but a voice behind her interrupted.

"Oh, Vivienne, hello- Dear god, what is that smell?"

"Sherlock's experimenting." Vivienne said at the same time that Sherlock replied, "She's here uninvited. She's breaking in. Make her leave. I'm distracted."

"Breaking in? Your door was open! At least I didn't pick your lock!" Vivienne scoffed.

"What does she mean by that?" John asked, but as usual, Sherlock ignored the question.

"Oh, I picked your lock _once_! It's not my fault you keep leaving your door unlocked now. It's like you want me to come in." Sherlock dismissed her, rolling his eyes.

Vivienne threw her hands in the air, knowing she wasn't going to get through to Sherlock and turned to walk out without a word.

As she was descending the stairs, she heard John shout, "You broke into her flat?! Are you completely mad?!"

xxxxx

Sherlock took a seat in Vivienne's armchair and patiently waited for her to wake up.

He didn't have to wait long.

"You know, I thought your little obsession with breaking in here had finally gone away." Vivienne stated, her voice muffled by her pillow. She rolled over and sat up, rubbing her eyes. "But then I realized you weren't even home. Where'd you run off to?"

"I had to help a... friend." Sherlock replied dismissively.

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. "A _friend_?"

"A woman. Yes." Sherlock answered quickly.

"A woman. _The_ Woman?"

Sherlock started to jump up. "How do you know about her?"

Vivienne shrugged. "I follow her on Twitter."

"Apparently, everyone does- How are you on Twitter? You can't even see!" Sherlock plopped back down in the chair, exasperated.

"If you have to explain the joke, Holmes, it stops being funny." Vivienne let out a small chuckle. "Seriously, though. Your voices travel from upstairs. I hear a lot more than you think."

Sherlock was at a loss for words considering he and John had had quite a few conversations regarding the woman in front of him in the past few days. "What, uh, what all have you heard?"

"Mostly John yelling about your experiments. Sometimes, things about the few cases you've had. I've heard my name in there a couple times, but no context as to what you were talking about." Vivienne licked her bottom lip in boredom. "Did you really boil eyeballs in your kettle?"

Sherlock relaxed a bit. "It was for- I was just doing an experiment. He overreacted."

"Remind me to never have tea with you until I've been reassured you've bought a new kettle." Vivienne scrunched her nose in slight disgust.

"Why would we need to buy a new kettle? We have a perfectly good one." Sherlock deadpanned.

"Holmes- you know what? Never mind." Vivienne shook her head and began laughing almost uncontrollably.

"What's so funny?" Sherlock furrowed his brow and stared at the crazy girl in front of him.

"Really?" Vivienne's cheeks began to burn from her laughter. She finally calmed herself enough to answer. "You fucking _boiled _eyeballs in your kettle. And yet you think it's perfectly fine? That's so... God, I don't even have another word to describe it. That's just so _you_."

Sherlock began to protest, but Vivienne shook her head and stopped him before he could get a word out.

"You know what, Holmes? You sit there, all stoic and proud and whatnot, pretending you don't remember me or that you deleted me or you packed me in a box and shoved me into a deep dark corner. But I don't have the magical power to delete things that are painful." (To which Sherlock mumbled, "It's not fucking magic.") Vivienne just shook her head once more. "But I remember everything. Every last detail. And I've been trying to act like I don't. Like I'm just meeting you for the first time. And with you coming here to annoy me when John's asleep and just being absolutely ridiculous, it's incredibly hard. Because you always made me laugh and think too much and you always made me push myself to be as smart as I could be."

Sherlock stayed quiet, processing everything he had just been told. He knew the right thing to do would be to drop his charade, but he didn't.

"Did I break you? Are you still alive over there?"

Sherlock's eyes landed on something that made him smile. "You have a skull on your mantle." _That's my girl_, he thought.

"Leave it to you to change the subject. Yes, Gran found it in one of my boxes. I've named her Martha."

"You're sure it's female?" Sherlock stood up to go investigate. She was right. It was.

"Yes, it was a present from my anatomy teacher my senior year at college. I was the only person to graduate with a hundred percent that year. And only the second person ever to graduate her class with that high of a grade. She thought I needed a present." Vivienne smiled at the memory.

Sherlock was glad that she couldn't see he had a similar smile, one of proudness, on his face, too. "How did she die?"

"Measles, I think, in 1927. She was in her late 20s, no family. She donated her body to science. Somehow my teacher wound up with it. And then I wound up with her skull."

"I'll be right back."

Sherlock left the apartment before Vivienne had a chance to ask where he was going, but he returned just as quickly.

"Here." He reached out and took her hand, setting something in it.

"This isn't mine." Vivienne replied, as she began feeling the object and realizing it was another skull. "This is male. Did you finally snap, murder John, and boil his flesh off? Is that why he's been so quiet?"

"He's a friend of mine. I call him Billy. Well, I say friend..." Sherlock trailed off.

Vivienne chuckled. "Where'd you get it?"

"A friend of my parents. He was a doctor, I believe. Possibly an archeologist or good friends with one. Visited a few times. The last time I saw him, he gave it to me. Said it came from some ancient tomb that had caved in, that he had had it a while and it was taking up space, and that he knew I'd appreciate it."

"That was very kind of him." Vivienne placed the skull carefully in her lap.

"He was an odd fellow, to be honest. Wore a bow tie constantly. But my mother was fond of him. Never would tell me how they met. She would always just smile and say 'traveling'." Sherlock mused. He had taken his place back in the armchair and just watched as Vivienne picked the skull back up. She had closed her eyes and was brushing her fingers ever so slightly over the face of it. "What are you doing?" He asked, even though he had an idea.

"Trying to figure out what he looked like."

Sherlock tried not to remember when she had done the same to him. "And what's the verdict?"

"He was handsome. Young. Ooh, nice teeth. Impressive jaw line. I'd do him. " Vivienne grinned.

"Are you fucking with me? It's hard to get a read on you sometimes." Sherlock tried to adjust himself in the seat to relax a bit.

"Yes, I'm fucking with you. He's decent-looking from what I can tell." Vivienne yawned. "Thank you for showing me. It's nice to know we still- it's nice to know we have things in common."

"Yes, because normal human beings keep dead people above their fireplaces." Sherlock chuckled.

"I never claimed to be normal, Holmes."

"You have psychosomatic blindness. You'll never be normal." Sherlock stood and walked back to Vivienne. He reached down to take the skull and their fingers brushed slightly. He watched as her cheeks reddened and she pulled back quickly. "I'll let you get back to sleep."

Vivienne nodded, already in the process of laying back down. "Goodnight, Holmes."

Sherlock reached out for her doorknob as a soft snore escaped Vivienne's lips. "Goodnight, Vivienne." He said softly as he walked out, quietly shutting her door behind him.

xxxxx

**A/N: **kind of important chapter, but also kind of unimportant. Just a nice moment between the two, really. But never fear, incredibly important things are coming very, very soon!

Also, small Easter Egg near the end. Let me know if you catch it! ;)

Don't forget to review, favorite, and follow!


	5. Chapter 5

**Fully Alive**

**Chapter Five**

Vivienne awoke to the sound of breathing coming from Sherlock's usual spot in the dark but he said nothing when she rolled over. His breathing didn't sound like it normally did. If anything, it was a bit erratic. Possibly nervous. Or scared.

"Holmes? Are you okay?" Vivienne asked, sitting up.

No answer. The thought crossed her mind that maybe it wasn't Sherlock. That maybe someone else had broken in and decided to be a creep and sit in the dark. But no. The room was filled with the scent of Old Spice and cigarettes. It was him.

" Holmes." Still no answer. "Sherlock. Knock on the wall if you're conscious. One knock if you are. Two if you aren't."

Sherlock let out a small chuckle and Vivienne relaxed.

"What's so funny? You scared me half to death."

"Please enlighten me to exactly how I'm supposed to knock twice if I'm unconscious." His voice sounded almost normal, but something was off.

Vivienne laughed. "It got you to speak, didn't it?" She bit her lip. "Are you alright?"

"Of course, I am." Sherlock paused. "For the most part, at least. I thought I was alright, but my flat was too much. I needed a quiet place to think."

"Did something happen while you were gone?" The last time she had seen Sherlock this...off...was the day he had left her.

"The usual. Guy thinks he sees a gigantic hound rip apart his father, dwells on it for 20 years, asks me to investigate. Turns out he's being drugged and is hallucinating said giant hound. I get drugged. See the hound. Go a bit crazy for a moment..."

"You mean crazier." Vivienne interjected.

"Oh, shut up." Sherlock half-snapped. "I'm telling you a bedtime story. Anyways. I figure out how we're being drugged. A man steps on a landmine." He grinned, and though Vivienne couldn't see it, she could practically feel it. "A day in the life of Sherlock Holmes, really."

"That was a terrible bedtime story." Vivienne cocked an eyebrow. "Try again. Once more with feeling."

"Well, I'm sorry my storytelling isn't up to your standards. I'll try to do better." Sherlock thought for a moment. "How do you feel about an ending with maggots eating away at a man's eyeballs?"

"On second thought, please don't try again. That's disgusting." Vivienne wanted nothing more than to take a seat right next to Sherlock but thought better of it. "Why did you need a quiet place to think?"

Sherlock stayed quiet for a moment debating on whether or not to say anything. His feelings for Vivienne, and the memories of her being his confidante (however briefly it was), won. "Being drugged, seeing that hound, and not knowing what was going on, it... it scared me more than I'd like to admit."

Vivienne smiled a bit at the confession.

"Tell anyone I said that and I'll deny it. And I'll kill you."

_And he's back. _Vivienne thought with a chuckle. "I'm terrified. And I'm sure I'll see it coming."

Sherlock groaned. "Why do you insist on flogging a dead horse?"

"Whatever do you mean, Mr. Holmes?" Vivienne smiled innocently.

"The blind jokes. What's the point?" _You didn't used to be like that_, he thought.

"Helps me cope sometimes." Vivienne shrugged. "I've been this way for 20 years and it's not getting any better. Gotta deal with it somehow. Are you tired?"

"Not in the slightest. You?"

"Not anymore. But I could eat." Vivienne grinned and raised her eyebrows, hoping Sherlock would get the hint.

"Go put some clothes on. I know a place."

Vivienne hurried off her couch to go get dressed. She quickly threw her hair into a topknot and somehow found two matching shoes. She was back in the living room in less than four minutes.

Sherlock took hold of her arm and they walked out, with him shutting the door behind them. "Do you like Italian? I got the owner off of a murder charge. We'll eat for free." He stated as they stepped out of 221b onto the desolate, illuminated sidewalk of Baker Street.

* * *

"I can't believe he thought I was your date." Vivienne laughed, fumbling with her key in the door.

"Well," Sherlock began as he took the key and unlocked the door. "You look a bit better than the last person he thought was my date."

"And who was that?" Vivienne asked, curious as to who Sherlock would be eating out with.

"John." Sherlock stated matter-of-factly. He couldn't help but laugh as Vivienne doubled over cackling.

"Oh, you're joking!" Vivienne exclaimed as she got her breath back. "Would you like some tea? Sun's coming up."

"I think I'll let you get some sleep, actually. You look exhausted."

"Well, I feel better than I have in a while. Thank you."

"No. Thank you. I think I needed that. A good time and a good laugh, I mean."

Vivienne sighed. There he was again, acting like she had remembered him. Of course, back then he had been sober for only 6 months. But he was far less cynical than he was now. He was more open, more of what she believed to be his true self. "I liked hearing you laugh again." She paused. "Was that inappropriate? I'm sorry."

"Never apologize for telling the truth."

"Well, here's another truth. I wish I could feel your smile. Just one more time."

Sherlock stayed quiet, but Vivienne could feel the slight vibrations of him walking towards her. He took her hand and placed it on his cheek. She smiled moving her fingertips gently across to his mouth.

She could feel the lines formed around his lips. He had really smiled for her. Without warning, she moved her fingers up and over his cheekbones. To the small wrinkles forming around his eyes. Up to his hair. He was exactly as she remembered him. She closed her eyes trying to keep hold of the moment. It took all she had to keep them shut and control her surprise as she felt lips press against her forehead and linger a moment longer than she expected. For a tiny, fleeing second, she thought he might say he remembered. But he stayed quiet. She steadied her breathing as she felt footsteps slowly retreating and then heard the faint click of her door latching shut.

_Damn you, Sherlock Holmes. Damn you. _She thought, unable to move from where she was standing.

* * *

It had been days since Sherlock had visited and when he did, he said things that Vivienne wasn't quite ready to hear.

"I need you to come with me." His voice was urgent.

Vivienne sat up at the sound of his voice and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "What's going on? What's the matter?"

"Get dressed. I need you to come with me." Sherlock paused. "Please."

"Are you okay? Where are we going?"

"I'm going to die, Vivienne. And I need your help." Sherlock took a deep breath. He knew he was asking too much when he heard her breath catch in her throat.

"I can't- I can't help you with that." Vivienne's throat was dry. Was he really asking what she thought he was asking?

"You can. I need you. Get dressed. We're going to Bart's."

"Holmes, there's gotta be something-"

"No. There isn't. I've exhausted all other options. I have to die. And you have to help."

xxxxx

**A/N:** Ugh. I'm sorry I've been away a few more days than I was expecting. I hit a small patch of writers block. I knew how I wanted to do the next chapter and how I wanted to end this one but I couldn't figure out how to get the beginning of this one to lead into that. And then I moved and all together just lost a tiny bit of inspiration. But I got it back! :) hope you liked this one! Don't forget to review, favorite, and follow!


	6. Chapter 6

**Fully Alive**

**Chapter Six**

Sherlock Holmes was dead. A tragic suicide.

At least in the minds of every British citizen. And in the hearts and minds of the residents of Baker Street and one Detective Inspector from Scotland Yard.

Vivienne, John, and Mrs. Hudson entered 221b somberly and looked up the stairs in silence. How else do you enter your home after a funeral?

"I can't go any farther." John's voice was barely a whisper.

"At least come up for a cuppa." Mrs. Hudson laid her hand tenderly on John's arm.

"It's the least we can do. Come on." Vivienne gave a half smiled and the trio trudged up the stairs quietly.

John and Vivienne sat at the table while Mrs. Hudson put the kettle on.

"I hate him." John mumbled as his cup of tea was sat in front of him.

"No, you don't." Vivienne responded, reaching for her own cup. "You're just angry."

"You're damn right I'm angry!" John pounded his fist on the table, causing the two females to jump. "Sorry... sorry... But Sherlock, he- We didn't deserve this. None of us. For him to be so fucking selfish... I knew he was a dick. But to do this? To us? To himself? What did he get out of it? Six feet under. That's what he fucking got."

" 'You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.'" Vivienne quoted. "Sherlock died a hero. Maybe not in the eyes of everyone, but in the eyes of the ones that mattered. We never believed the lies, not for a second. And he knew that. As hard as he tried to convince you, you knew better. But he's not gone. Not really." She cleared her throat. "A wise man once said 'the ones who love us never truly leave us' and I choose to believe that."

"Did that wise man happen to be Sirius Black? Did you just quote Harry Potter to me to try and make me feel better?" John let out a brief chuckle.

"I did. Did it help?" Vivienne raised a curious eyebrow.

John reached out to touch Vivienne's hand gently. "It did. Thank you."

The telephone rang and Mrs. Hudson went to answer it. She came back moments later and handed the cordless to Vivienne. "It's Kati. Something's wrong."

Vivienne took the phone with a worried look on her face. "Kati. Is everything-"

But a man's voice interrupted her. _"Go into the other room."_

"Who-"

_"Go into the other room and listen very closely to what I'm about to say." _The man waited until Viviane was out of the kitchen to continue. _"A car will be there for you in an hour. Go pack a bag as soon as we hang up. Tell your gran that something has happened at home and you're leaving at once. Your friend has a ticket waiting at the airport for you."_

"Who is this? Is this about Sherlock? Is he okay?" Vivienne whispered.

_"You have an hour. Now go back in the kitchen and say 'okay, I understand. I'll be there as soon as I can.' Now."_

Vivienne did as she was told. "Okay, I understand. I'll be there as soon as I can. Love you, Kati." She heard the click as the line went dead. "Uh, something- something has come up at home. Kati needs me. She has a ticket waiting for me at the airport. I'm so sorry to be leaving like this. I shouldn't be gone long."

"Is everything alright, dear?" Mrs. Hudson began to stand up but Vivienne waved her to sit back down.

"I'm not sure." Which wasn't a lie. Was this about Sherlock? It had to be, given the secrecy. Was he actually dead this time? Vivienne felt in her gut that she was headed to identify a body. "I'm going to go pack. I'll call a taxi while I'm down there. I don't need help. I'll be fine."

Vivienne hurried down to her apartment, leaving John and Mrs. Hudson to their confusion.

An hour later, after rushed goodbyes, Vivienne was standing in front of Baker Street when a long black car pulled up.

"You a Miss Hudson?" Said a voice from inside the car.

"Y-yes. I, uh, need a little help, if you would." Vivienne's palms began to sweat.

"Ah, yes. Mycroft- that is, Mr. Holmes, I mean- said you would."

Vivienne heard a car door shut and her luggage being put in a trunk. Mycroft. _Mycroft. _Why did that name sound familiar? Then she remember the man say _"Mr. Holmes, I mean."_

Mycroft was Sherlock's brother. This was about Sherlock. Vivienne never felt so sure that she was headed to identify remains.

"Can you tell me where I'm going?" She asked the driver as he helped her into the back seat.

"Sorry, Miss. But I'm under strict orders. Pick you up, drop you off, make sure you get to the destination safely. Meanin' I help you to your room, as well." He shut the door and made his way back to the drivers seat. Vivienne was a bit unsettled by the purr of the engine when he restarted the car.

"My room?" Vivienne asked, confused.

"Sorry, Miss. Can't say no more. Trip'll take about 3 hours so you might wanna get out a book or take a nap."

Vivienne was so shaken up by the suddenness of everything she almost asked the driver how he expected her to read seeing as she was, in fact, blind and not just lazy, when she remembered. _Fucking braille books. _Blind people have books, too. And she had packed 3 different ones. _I'm a goddamn idiot._ She thought as she pulled a small blanket and pillow out of the backpack she had put at her feet and curled up in the seat to take a nap.

* * *

3 hours_, _1 book, and 2 very fitful cat naps later, the driver spoke again. "We're here, Miss. If you'll get your stuff together that's with you back there, I'll grab your things from the boot."

Vivienne quickly shoved her things back in her bag and exited the car. She waited next to it until the driver came around and took her arm. They walked in a doorway, up two flights of stairs, and down a long hallway before stopping. Vivienne heard her suitcase being sat down on the floor.

"This is where I leave you, Miss. Have a good day. You can knock whenever you're ready."

"Thank you." Vivienne nodded to the man and he walked away. She raised her fist to knock, but the door flew open and her nostrils were invaded with the overwhelming smell of Old Spice and cigarette smoke. _Thank fucking god. _"Holmes. That you?"

"Of course it is. I've got your bag. Come in. Quickly."

Vivienne walked in and the door shut behind her. "Where are you?" A hand touched her right shoulder and she spun around, smacking Sherlock square in the face. "Fuck. You."

"What the hell was that for?!" Sherlock raised his hand to his cheek. His cheek stung a bit, but Vivienne was sure that his ego stung a bit more.

"I have spent the last four fucking hours thinking I was headed somewhere to identify your body. _That_ is what that was for."

"Did Mycroft not tell you what was going on? Oh, of course he didn't. Don't know why I thought he would." Sherlock shook his head.

"He really didn't. He called and was super cryptic and creepy. And made me think you were fucking dead." Vivienne ran her hand through her bangs. "What am I doing here?"

"Why don't you take a nap? You look exhausted and I have a couple things I need to do. We'll talk later."

"Sherlock Holmes, you answer me right now. Why am I here?" Vivienne raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"I needed a liaison. You were the most obvious choice." Sherlock brushed the question off.

"I am not the most obvious choice. I'm not the only one who knows you're alive. Molly knows. Mycroft knows. If anything, either of them is a better choice. Instead of someone you claim to have forgotten."

"Molly? No, couldn't ask her. I stayed with her a couple days after, well, you know. Suffice it to say, I don't think she has a crush on me anymore. And Mycroft and I can't talk on the phone without wanting to kill each other. So, yes, you are the obvious choice. I need a liaison and it's you." Sherlock sighed. "Now, I'm busy. We'll talk later."

"You're not busy. You're an ass." Vivienne rolled her eyes in annoyance. "You don't need a liaison. You're _lonely. _You're lonely and too proud to admit it. You've gotten so used to living with John that you can't bear to be by yourself. And since he can't be here, you needed someone."

"Vivienne-" Sherlock began.

"No. Stop. You can't keep doing this to me. It's bullshit. You keep yanking me around like this is a game and to me, it's not. I know how you love your games, but I don't. I'm done with you." Vivienne took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "But don't you forget, Sherlock Holmes, that I see you. I see you better than any sighted person can. And I know the real you."

Vivienne turned to go to the bathroom, but then realized that she didn't know where it was. Before she could turn to ask, Sherlock's voice stopped her in her tracks as he uttered the four words she had been waiting to hear.

"I do remember you." He sounded almost nervous.

"What?" Vivienne paused with her back to Sherlock.

"I remember you. Of course I do. I remember everything."

Xxxxx

**A/N: **last chapter I forgot to mention that I'm glad people liked my easter egg in Chapter Four! I'm a diehard SuperWhoLockian. And my 2 favorite WhoLock headcanons are that Sherlock received his skull from The Doctor (and that the skull is *possibly* John's). And that his mother was a companion. I decided to describe The Doctor as Eleven, because I feel like he would be the most nostalgic about visiting old companions, even ones from his earliest regenerations. Don't forget to review, favorite, and follow! Reviews make me super happy!


	7. Chapter 7

**Fully Alive**

**Chapter Seven**

_"I remember you. Of course I do. I remember everything."_

"Don't say that if you don't mean it." Vivienne spoke in barely a whisper.

"I can still picture you perfectly the last time I saw you. Your hair... those ridiculous pale pink dreadlocks..."

"You liked my dreads." Vivienne half-smiled as she turned around. "If I remember correctly."

Sherlock chuckled but didn't respond to the statement. He just continued his own train of thought. "Your crocheted bikini top that I had to help you tie back up that morning. That damn wrap skirt you were wearing..."

"I kept tripping over the hem when we walked out of the hotel." Vivienne suddenly remembered. "I hadn't tied it back up right so the hem was hanging too low." She took a tentative step towards Sherlock. "You've let me believe all this time that you had forgotten me. And you wait until now to tell me you've been lying?"

"If I'm being honest, I tried to delete you. I never thought I'd see you again and thinking about you was too much. But the most I could do was pack you away and hide you in a dark corner. I couldn't bring myself to ever actually forget you." Sherlock cleared his throat. "I didn't recognize you at first when you walked into my flat. You look... different now. More grown up."

"It's been 8 years. Of course I've grown up. A lot of it happened the day you left."

Again, Sherlock didn't respond to Vivienne's statement. "As soon as you spoke, though, I knew it was you. I thought that if I embarrassed you, if I was rude, you'd blow me off. So, I made a rash decision to make you think I had deleted you."

"Why?"

"I couldn't go without thinking about you at least once a day. And, contrary to popular belief, I do have a heart, and it broke every single time. But I had finally gotten to where I stopped thinking about you. I had my work. That was enough. I was selfish. I was too worried about breaking my own heart, that I never even took yours into consideration."

"So, the Tin Man had a heart all along. What a plot twist." Vivienne shook her head. "You are selfish. You always have been. But I loved you anyways. Despite all of your flaws, I fucking loved you. You're selfish. You're self-centered. You don't care about much but your work. But I didn't care. I don't care. I saw through all of that. I saw the real you. Perk of being blind, I guess."

"I cared about you." Sherlock took a step forward and reached out, taking Vivienne's hand. "And I loved you because you loved me. No one else has looked past everything the way you did."

"Why wait until now to tell me this? When you're leaving on a suicide mission." Vivienne let out a small, sad laugh. "It's the beach all over again. At least I'm warm this time."

"I was going to tell you after Angelo's, but I lost my nerve. I couldn't leave you this time without telling you."

"Because you won't be back."

"We don't know that."

"Yes, we do. Why lie to ourselves? This is a suicide mission." Vivienne closed her eyes and dropped her head. "Did you think it would be easier this way?"

"I didn't think any of it would be easy. Vivienne, if I could go back and change the way I handled everything, I would. I hope you believe that." Sherlock squeezed Vivienne's hand and pulled her close to him.

"For some stupid reason, I do. But it doesn't change anything now."

Sherlock couldn't think of anything else to say, so he just pressed his lips to Vivienne's, hoping he made a point.

Vivienne jumped a little at the shock of the kiss, but soon fell into a very familiar rhythm. She tangled one hand in Sherlock's hair and the other lingered on the waistband of his slacks. Their lips moved in unison as Sherlock placed his hands on Vivienne's hips. His hand drifted up under the hem of her shirt, but she pushed him back.

"No." She furrowed her brow.

"No?" Sherlock cocked his head to the side and leaned away.

"No. Is that why you brought me here? So you could get off before going and getting yourself offed? Because I'm not-"

Sherlock turned away, keeping hold of Vivienne's hand, and walked to the armchair he had been occupying. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." He sat down and gently pulled her into his lap.

Vivienne laid her head on Sherlock's shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her waist. "How long do we have?"

"A week."

"Then we make the most of it." Vivienne sighed. "What do our sleeping arrangements look like?"

"The bed is right in front of us. I assumed that's where you'll sleep."

"What about you? Do you have a room?"

"No. Just this one. And it's under your name."

Vivienne shook her head. "One room, one bed. Smooth, Holmes."

"I wasn't trying to be _smooth_. I couldn't exactly risk a room under my name now, could I?" Sherlock let out an annoyed sigh. "But thank you for believing in me so highly."

"You're right. I'm sorry. I take it back." The room was quiet for a moment as the pair became lost in their own thoughts. "Sherlock? I have a question."

"Mine first. Why did you never tell me how you came to be blind? Why tell me now? That first night, I mean."

"It didn't seem important." Vivienne shrugged. "I had been blind for 12 years. It was just who I was- who I am. The 'how' didn't seem necessary. Why didn't you ever tell me how or why you became a drug addict?"

"We have a week left together and that's what you choose to ask me?"

"Obviously. I asked, didn't I?"

"It didn't seem important."

Vivienne laughed at Sherlock's mocking reply.

"I'm serious, Vivienne. It didn't. I was sober. I had my work keeping me that way. But I had also found something else. Something that, until I found it, I didn't believe would be stronger than work or drugs."

"And what was that?"

"Love." Sherlock half-smiled. "You."

Vivienne blushed. "Are you still trying to get me to sleep with you?"

"No, you wanted the truth, didn't you?"

"You're right. I did. Thank you." Vivienne paused and pressed her lips to Sherlock's cheek. "I love you."

"And I, you." Sherlock closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to Vivienne's cheek.

Vivienne stifled a yawn. "Come to bed with me. I'm exhausted."

Sherlock just nodded and let his grip around Vivienne's waist go. She stood up and stripped down to nothing but her t-shirt and a pair of lime green, lace boyshorts.

"Lead the way when you're ready." She undid her hair and quickly fixed it, making sure it wasn't too crazy.

Sherlock took Vivienne's hand and led her over to the bed. She sat down on the edge and Sherlock watched as she situated herself on the opposite side. He waited patiently until she had gotten comfortable before crawling in next to her.

"Goodnight, Holmes." Vivienne scooted over and buried her head in Sherlock's shoulder. She threw her arm over his torso and breathed out heavily.

"Goodnight, Vivienne." Sherlock kissed her on the forehead and closed his eyes. He didn't have to wait long before Vivienne's breathing slowed and deepened. He wrapped his arm around her and waited for sleep to come.

* * *

Vivienne awoke to an empty bed. She reached her arm out and felt nothing but cold sheets next to her.

"Sherlock?" She called out, nervous that he was gone.

"Sorry, couldn't sleep. Are you alright?"

Vivienne felt the bed sink down next to her and she immediately moved to be close to Sherlock. "Got a bit anxious. I'm fine. What about you? Are you okay?"

"I was thinking. And watching you sleep."

Vivienne placed her hand on Sherlock's chest and slowly moved it up until she found his cheek. She leaned in, confident in where he was, and pressed her lips to his frantically. "Thank you for doing this." She said as she pulled away. "I just wish we had more time."

"We have all the time in the world." Sherlock replied, tangling his fingers in hair on the back of her head. He kissed her and moved so he was laying her down on the bed, then maneuvered himself on top of her.

Vivienne opened her mouth to say yes, but found herself unable to speak. She took a deep breath and nodded before kissing Sherlock once more.

He ran his hand up underneath Vivienne's shirt, grazing the skin lightly with his fingertips. She arched her back in response. She grinned as she reached down and grasped the hem of Sherlock's shirt. She pulled it up as much as she could and Sherlock sat up on his knees to take it the rest of the way off. Vivienne took the opportunity to slide out of her underwear and to pull her shirt off as well.

"You sure you're okay with this?" Sherlock asked as he discarded his shirt.

"I've never been more sure of anything." The look in her eyes told him she wasn't lying.

Sherlock slid his Pajama pants off and crawled back on top of Vivienne. He kissed her again, their lips moving in unison. He pulled back a little and kissed the corner of her mouth before leaving a trail of kisses down her neck, between her breasts, and down to her bellybutton. He glanced up to see the look of pleasure that had taken over Vivienne's face before he started his way back up.

"I love you." He mumbled, pressing his lips to hers and enveloping himself in her in one thrust, eliciting a loud moan in response.

* * *

Vivienne awoke the next morning to an unusual sensation. The sunlight coming in the window was too bright. She was almost too afraid to open her eyes. It had been a long time since the morning light had woken her up...

She peeked out of one eye and saw a mess of dark brown curls on the pillow next to her. She shrieked and jolted up, falling into the floor in the process.

The nose woke Sherlock, who sat up quickly looking around for Vivienne. He finally saw her sitting on the floor, eyes wide in shock. "What's the matter? Are you alright?"

"I- I can- I..." Vivienne stuttered. "I can see you." She crawled back up onto the bed slowly. "I can actually see you. You're a bit blurry, but... there's color. _I can see you._"

xxxxx

**A/N: **Fuuuuuuuuuck. I've been working on this chapter for the past 3 nights trying to get it right. Hopefully I did. I'm not happy with some of it. Actually most of it. Maybe like a half of it. Tell me what you think. As always, review, follow, &amp; favorite, please!

PS: Sorry for all of the misspellings last chapter. I'm writing this in a word document on my phone and autocorrect kept getting the best of me. I usually edit before i post but I guess my tired brain decided to not see all of the words that got changed. They're fixed now.


	8. Chapter 8

**Fully Alive**

**Chapter Eight**

**A/N: Sex warning. In case anyone wants To know. **

_"I can see you."_

Sherlock raised his eyebrows as Vivienne reached out to touch his face.

"You're so beautiful." Vivienne whispered, before blushing. "I mean, very close to what I pictured in my head, just... better."

"Well, this certainly trumps what I had planned for today." Sherlock stated, but couldn't hold back his smile as he looked at the amazement on Vivienne's face.

"Why? What did you have planned?" Vivienne liked around the room in awe, taking in all the features it had to offer.

"You know what? Get dressed. This may actually improve my plans."

Vivienne furrowed her brow but followed Sherlock off of the bed and to her suitcase. She got dressed quickly and walked into the bathroom to fix her hair. She came out to see Sherlock finishing the last button on a deep purple dress shirt. She watched in wonder as he tucked it gracefully into a pair of blue jeans.

"I like that shirt." Vivienne laughed as Sherlock jumped at the sound of her voice.

He turned around and smiled. "Good. I'm glad. Are you ready?"

"Where are we going?" Vivienne asked as she pulled on her coat.

Sherlock reached for his own coat, but thought better of it. "It's a surprise. You'll see."

"I will!" Vivienne chirped, taking Sherlock's hand as they walked out of their hotel room.

They walked hand in hand down the streets of the quaint village where their hotel resided for a while, with Sherlock taking a very calculated route, until he stopped next to a large building and looked up at it. He glanced expectantly at Vivienne and smiled.

"Is this it? Where are we?" Vivienne looked up at the building with determination, wanting to figure it out on her own. "A church? Sherlock, what's going on?"

Sherlock turned to face Vivienne. "Will you marry me?"

"Oh, god, Sherlock. Funny." She began laughing but stopped when she realized he wasn't joining in. "Oh, my gods. You're serious. Sherlock... No. I- I can't do that."

"That's not exactly the response I was looking for." He sounded almost sad. "Do I need to get down on one knee? Do it properly?"

"If you had asked me this and I didn't only have a week left with you, you might have gotten the answer you wanted. But this... if I married you, I'd want everything that came with being married. Living together, possibly a family, growing old together... We can't do that in a week. I'm sorry, but it's not fair."

"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for assuming that you'd go for this. You're right. It isn't fair. But I couldn't leave in good conscience without trying. You're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, however short or long that may be. If I die while I'm gone, I want to die knowing I married you. I won't promise I'll make it home, because I'm not entirely sure I can keep that one, but in the event that I do, I will try to give you everything you want. I won't be perfect, you know that, but I will try my hardest."

Vivienne thought for a moment before nodding. "Okay. Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes!" Vivienne laughed. "I don't have anything to wear, though!"

"You do. It's upstairs waiting for you. Don't worry. I haven't seen it. I had Kati pick something out and I sent her the money to order it. And I also have her on standby to Skype in so she can watch the ceremony." Sherlock looked pretty proud of himself.

"How are we supposed to do this? You're technically dead."

"Sherlock Holmes is dead. William Holmes, on the other hand..."

Vivienne grinned. "You've really thought this through, haven't you?"

"You underestimate how much I want this."

"Apparently."

Vivienne's eyes widened as they walked into the church.

"Your dress should be upstairs in the first room on the right. I'll meet you back down here in half an hour."

Vivienne placed a small kiss on Sherlock's cheek before turning and leaving him behind as she ascended up the stairs. She found the small room holding her dress easily enough and smiled at what Kati had bought for her. A white lace, long-sleeved crop top that stopped at her waist and a white satin maxi skirt that sat on her waist just beneath the crop top. Very boho and very Vivienne. A pair of white lace, peep toe Louboutin's with tiny bows at the front sat on the floor and a headband made of small, white and purple flowers, in lieu of a veil, sat on a desk next to a bouquet of dark purple flowers. Vivienne hurried to get dressed, thankful that she could see what she was doing and that she would actually get to witness this day instead of trying to imagine what everything looked like.

Thirty minutes later, Vivienne stood at the end of the aisle staring down at Sherlock, who had traded his jeans for a tux. She laughed to herself when she noticed he had kept on the purple shirt. To Sherlock's left, was an open laptop, pointed towards the pulpit. Somewhere above her, an organ began playing the Wedding March.

She took her first step and had to remind herself to breathe. Even though she was taking her time, she made it down to Sherlock faster than she anticipated.

"Hello." Vivienne said quietly, blushing.

The Reverend began talking, but Vivienne couldn't hear a word he was saying. She was too transfixed on Sherlock's eyes.

"Do you, William, take Vivienne to be your wife? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, good days and bad, for better or worse, as long as you both shall live?"

Sherlock smiled his half-smile. "I do." He fumbled slightly pulling a diamond ring out of his pocket. He slid it onto Vivienne's finger. He pulled out another and placed it in Vivienne's hand.

"Do you, Vivienne, take William to be your husband? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, good days and bad, for better or worse, as long as you both shall live?"

Vivienne grinned. "I really, really do." She put the ring Sherlock had handed her into his finger, shaking slightly.

"You may kiss your bride."

Sherlock stepped forward, out his arm around Vivienne's waist, and kissed her deeply, dipping her down in the process.

A "woohoo!" came from the direction of Sherlock's computer and both Vivienne and Sherlock chuckled as they stood up.

"I love you, Mr. Holmes."

"And I love you, Mrs. Holmes."

* * *

Vivienne walked out of the bathroom in nothing but an open robe, towel drying her hair, to see Sherlock lounging on the bed in just his pajama pants.

"I could get used to seeing that." She grinned. "You realize you're pretty ripped for just being a consulting detective. It's not normal."

Sherlock looked down at his torso and shrugged. "It's not like I did it in purpose. It just sort of... happened."

Vivienne sat down on the edge of the bed next to Sherlock. He stuck his hand out and ran his hand up her thigh, over her hip bones, and began rubbing his fingertips lightly over her bare stomach. "I was thinking while I was in the shower. Don't- don't get mad or anything, but... after today, how can you still leave?"

"Because I have to. Moriarty, he got what he wanted. Me, dead. Well, kind of. But I don't trust him. Just because he's dead, doesn't mean that anyone who worked for him won't still come after John or Mrs. Hudson or Lestrade. Or even you or Molly. To keep you all safe, I need to do this. I need to disassemble this web he's created. I _need_ to keep you all safe. Besides, everyone thinks I'm dead. I can't pop back up now. At least, not yet. Vivienne, darling, we talked about this. You agreed to this."

"Well, I'm starting to think it was a mistake." Vivienne shot back.

Sherlock pulled his hand away like he had been burned. "No- no, don't say that."

"I get to be married to you for six days and then you're gone. And I don't know if you'll ever be back. I can't tell anyone I married you. I don't get to play house or have a family with you, not right away. And possibly not at all. I get to worry. And every time the phone will ring, I get to dread that the person on the other end is Mycroft, telling me that you're gone for good and that I really never will get any of that. I get six days of what? Honeymooning and sex? That's great and all, but is it worth it? Is it worth all the worrying I get to endure?"

"No, it's not." Sherlock raised his hand up and cupped Vivienne's cheek, his thumb stroking her cheekbone. "It's not worth the worrying. Or the heartbreak I'm putting you through. You said it yesterday. I'm selfish. I did this for me. I couldn't go to my almost certain death knowing that I hadn't made you mine." One of his thumbstrokes wiped away a falling tear. "But I also did it because I love you. And if I die tomorrow, or 50 years from now, I want to die knowing that you didn't doubt that for a second."

"Then, I'm selfish, too. Because I'm afraid that if you go away again, my sight will go with you." Vivienne sighed. The look on Sherlock's face told her that he didn't understand.

"You think I'm the reason it came back?"

"I know you are." Vivienne took a deep breath, preparing to explain herself. "After my... accident... everything was a little worse that it is right now, blurry but I could see colors. I was afraid. And it took a couple years, but I finally stopped being afraid, but my sight wasn't getting better. And I had just resigned myself to the fact that I was crazy and I was going to be blind for the rest of my life. When I met you, everything was finally starting to go dark. Colors were muted, people hadn't had facial features in years... But meeting you, it gave me hope that there was still good in the world. My grandfather was set for execution, the men who kidnapped me were in prison. You were like a beacon of light in my darkness. And then you left. And it started getting worse faster than it ever had. I had good days and bad days. On the bad days, it was almost pitch black. Good days, various shades of gray." Vivienne stopped for a moment. "Spending last night with you... the world made sense again."

"Vivienne-" Sherlock began.

"I went outside today and I saw the sky, more clearly than I've seen it in 20 years. I don't want to lose the sky again."

"Is the sky a metaphor for me?" Sherlock raised an eyebrow, trying to make sense of what he was hearing.

"Yes and no. I don't want to lose the sky and I don't want to lose you. You may not understand this, but you're my second sky." Vivienne breathed in deeply again. She could feel tears welling up. "You're my hope."

"I understand. I think I do, anyways. Vivienne, I will always be there to be whatever you need me to be. I can be your hope, even if I'm thousands of miles away. You can always have hope. I believe in you."

"And I believe in you, Sherlock Holmes. Always have, always will."

"Don't let it go dark because of me. As long as you believe in me, you'll anyways have the sky."

"I wish I wasn't the only one who knew you like this." Vivienne closed her eyes, causing more tears to spill out. She placed her hand on Sherlock's. "I wish more people knew just how human you could be. That you aren't a robot."

Sherlock chuckled. "So they could see that the Tin Man has a heart?"

"Yes. And that the Tin Man is a kind, compassionate, beautiful human being." Vivienne opened her eyes and gave Sherlock the smallest of smiles. "If these are our last days together, I want to make the most of them. No more crying, no sadness. I want to lay in bed all day with you and make love or talk or just stare into those amazing eyes of yours." Vivienne's smile widened. "One day, I'll be able to shout from the rooftops that I married Sherlock Holmes, the greatest man in the world. A good man, too."

Sherlock couldn't hold back his smile as he stared at the woman in front of him. "A good man." He repeated in a whisper as he leaned forwards to kiss his bride.

"And a damn good shag." Vivienne giggled as Sherlock's lips captured her own.

"I'll show you a damn good shag." Sherlock replied, his voice slightly muffled by the kiss. He reached up and pushed Vivienne's robe from her shoulders. He placed his free hand on the small of her back and quickly laid her down on the bed, positioning himself between her legs, causing her to shriek. He placed both hands on the bed next to Vivienne and stared into her eyes. "I love you."

Vivienne pressed her hand to his chest and pushed him backwards to he got the message and stood up at the edge of the bed. She hooked her fingers beneath the waistband of his pajama bottoms and pulled them, and his boxers, down. "Show me, then."

Sherlock finished discarding his clothes and kicked them away before taking his place back on top. He paused a moment to look at the woman underneath him; _his_ woman. Vivienne drug her nails down his torso and his stomach tightened. He had almost forgotten what she did to him. The night before didn't include much foreplay. They were too caught up in each other. He didn't have a chance to remember the way she made him feel. The tightness in his loins. The way he almost couldn't breathe when she touched him. The way her eyes seemed to look deep inside him. He closed his eyes and tried to even out his ragged breathing; he tried to calm himself. He wanted to remember everything. The electricity sparking between them. The sweat. The heat.

Her voice broke through his thoughts and his eyes popped open. "If you get me off first, I'll suck your dick later." Vivienne rested her hand on his hips and bit at her bottom lip.

Every muscle in his body tensed. He had forgotten what a firecracker she turned into when she was turned on. He closed his eyes and groaned. "Keep talking like that and you won't be walking tomorrow."

"I think I'd be offended if I could."

Sherlock bent down and crashed his lips to Vivienne's to shut her up. His tongue traced her bottom lip and she opened her mouth slightly to give him entrance. His tongue brushed over hers as he reached down between her legs. He could feel the heat radiating from her core as he slowly eased his finger inside of her, eliciting a small moan from both of them. He dared to put another inside of her and she broke the kiss. She whimpered as he stroked his fingers back and forth. His eyes locked on the look of pure ecstasy that was crossing her face; her mouth open, unable to close from the string of moans escaping her throat. She opened her eyes and looked into his, right down into his soul. The look she was giving him was enough. He pulled his fingers out and discretely wiped them on the bed before running his hand up her stomach and grasping her breast. He rubbed his thumb over her nipple and she moaned louder, never breaking their eye contact.

"You... Win..." Vivienne panted.

Sherlock didn't need another cue. He positioned himself at her entrance and slid himself in. Vivienne groaned and he waited a moment to let her muscles stretch to accommodate his size. The moment Vivienne's face relaxed, he pulled out a bit and thrusted himself as far as he could go.

The sound that came out of Vivienne couldn't even be classified as human and Sherlock could help but grin at the thought of what the neighboring rooms might think.

Vivienne's nails dug into Sherlock's back and he fell into a decent rhythm. He bent his head and kissed her neck, her jawline, the corner of her mouth. She turned her head slightly and captured his mouth, kissing him frantically. He knew she was close. She moaned into his mouth and he almost lost control.

Not that he was counting, but it only took 3 minutes before her body began to tremble under his. She held onto him for dear life, it seemed, one hand gripping at his back and the other tangled in his hair, as he thrusted through her orgasm. Her breathing began to steady and he could feel her pulsating against him. She kissed him slowly and he let himself go. He pressed his forehead to hers as he gave his few last thrusts. Hard and slow, going as deeply into her as he could.

Sherlock moaned a bit louder than he expected as he came. He gave one final thrust and let out a deep sigh. He kissed Vivienne tenderly before resting his forehead on hers once more.

"Well, I love you, too." Vivienne breathed out, causing them both to laugh.

Sherlock pulled out and let himself fall onto the bed next to Vivienne. "That was- you were-"

"I don't think I've ever orgasmed that fast. Ever."

"Is that good or bad?"

"Good. Very fucking good." Vivienne sat up. "I'll go get a towel for clean up."

Sherlock didn't say anything as he watched Vivienne walk into the bathroom slowly on very shaky legs.

"Looks like I can still walk." She said, exiting the bathroom with one of the white hotel towels.

"The night is young." Sherlock mused as he caught the towel Vivienne threw at him before crawling back into bed with him.

"And so are we." Vivienne laughed. She leaned over and kissed Sherlock's cheek. "Having second thoughts yet?"

Sherlock let out a breathy laugh. "Quite possibly."

Vivienne just leaned her head on Sherlock's shoulder and let out a very content sigh.

xxxxx

**A/N: **Okay. *clears throat* well, then. I didn't start this chapter expecting to actually put the entire sex act in. Just kind of imply it. Shit happens. But I'm happy with it because damn it I'm invested in these characters and I'm in love with them and tbh I've been thinking about this since I stayed the story. Mostly because naked Sherlock. Because duh. Reviews please? :) reviews = more possible sexytimes in the future, if you want them. Because I kinda do. Because I'm a smut whore and I'm not afraid to admit it. (How many more times can I say 'because'? Geez.)


	9. Chapter 9

**Fully Alive **

**Chapter Nine**

"I don't think I can do this." Vivienne sighed, packing the last of her belongings in her suitcase.

"Do what? Go home?" Sherlock poked his head out from the bathroom.

"Go back to a normal life. Go home without you. Pretend you're dead... Pretend I didn't see you or marry you. Pick one. They're all true."

"I know. But I need you to. All of this... I need you to be normal. Even if it's pretending." Sherlock replied, straightening his jacket as he walked back out into the room.

"Promise me you'll come home to me." Vivienne wrapped her arms around Sherlock's waist.

"I can't-" Sherlock returned the hug, tightly.

"Promise me, Sherlock Holmes. You promise me now."

"I promise." Sherlock broke their hug and grabbed Vivienne by the shoulders. "I have a little surprise for you. Hopefully it will make things easier for you." He checked his watch. "Should be here any minute."

"What did you do?" Vivienne raised an eyebrow.

"Just wait."

"Sherlock-" A knock interrupted her. "What did you do?"

Sherlock gave his mischievous grin and nodded his head towards the door. "Go answer it."

Vivienne took the walk to the door slowly, not knowing what to expect on the other side. But when she opened the door, her eyes widened and her face lit up. "Kati!"

Sherlock watched the best friends embrace with a genuine smile on his face.

The girls broke their hug and Vivienne pulled Kati into the room, quickly shutting the door behind them.

Kati sat her bag down and smiled at Sherlock. "I'm gonna hug you now. Deal with it."

Sherlock rolled his eyes as Kati hugged him tightly. "Hello to you, too." He patted her awkwardly on the back, but a small smile was playing behind his lips.

"I've been asking you to come visit every week since I moved. But he asks once and you come running. I see how it is." Vivienne laughed at the sight in front of her.

"You didn't offer to buy my plane tickets and pay me almost three times what I make in a month so I could." Kati grinned at her best friend. "Can you really see me?"

"I really can." Vivienne was glowing with excitement.

Sherlock stepped forward. "The car dropping her off is the one taking me away. I have to go."

"I'm just gonna, um, go freshen up." Kati smiled at the pair and made her way to the bathroom, shutting the door to give the newlyweds their privacy.

Vivienne closed the space between her and her husband. "Come home to me. I love you." She said, embracing him one last time.

"I will. I love you."

Kati waited until she heard the hotel room door shut to exit the bathroom. She wrapped a comforting arm around Vivienne's shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"I will be." Vivienne gave a small half-smile. "You're here. That will make it easier."

Kati grabbed Vivienne's hand and pulled her to the bed. They sat down next to each other and Vivienne brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "So, how... You can see. How?"

"I don't really understand it, actually. I mean, other than saying it was Sherlock, I don't have another explanation. I kind of told him that I knew it was him and I even had a rant to go along with it, but I'm still... I'm still wondering why now. If it's because of him, why didn't it get better when we were together before? Back home?"

"Start from the beginning." Kati let out a pseudo-annoyed sigh as Vivienne raised an eyebrow. "Okay, not the very beginning. I know all that shit. Start from-" She thought a moment. "Start from the fake suicide. Classic Sherlock, by the way. Can't ever do anything the easy way."

Vivienne took a deep breath. "You sure about this?"

"I'm your best friend. This is what I'm here for. And to also give you unsolicited advice, but whatever. Go on. Fake suicide. Sex. Eyesight. Connect me some dots."

"Okay. He showed up in the middle of the night, like usual, except he was agitated and going on about that he needed to die and I needed to help. Next thing I know, we're at the morgue with his friend plotting a fake suicide. Tricky stuff. Help from MI6. A whole ordeal. Anyways, day of the funeral, his brother calls. Says to tell Gran than I'm visiting you, you're having trouble."

Kati held up her hand. "Okay, maybe fake suicide was too far back. Restart from, well, here. The hotel. Cliff's Notes version."

"I showed up, he was here. We argued, like always. He admitted he lied about not remembering me, blah blah blah. We had a heart to heart. We had sex. Good sex. I mean, sex like we used to-"

Kati squeezed her eyes shut and plugged her ears. "I get it. I get it. Get to the eyesight."

"Sorry. Anyways, I woke up and I could see. It's somewhere between pre-accident and after I woke up post-accident. Closer to post-accident, but whatever. We fucked and my eyesight came back." Vivienne shrugged and raised an eyebrow. "Your two cents?"

"I think... I think it proves you were really kind of crazy." Kati laughed and crinkled her nose at Vivienne. "On a serious note though, it's him."

"I thought you were going to give me something a little more profound."

"Hear me out. You always went on about how it got worse when he left. You were already thinking it was tied to your brain, and not in an injury kind of way, a mental kind of way. That psycho word."

"Psychosomatic."

"Yeah, that. Look Viv, it was all in your head at that point. We know that. Yes, he made you happy then. But was it really long enough to have that great of an effect?"

"But the effect it had when he left... everything getting worse. Explain that, professor."

"The way I see it... It's like grades in school. You make all A's and you have an A-average. Which is great and everything, _but_ you get one F, and your average drops to a C." Kati took Vivienne's hand and smiled. "Everything was finally good. You were in school, studying like you wanted. There was a case against your grandfather and your kidnappers. All A's. You met Sherlock. Another A. Cut to Sherlock leaving. That's your F. It fucked up your average. Fucked with your eyesight because your eyesight was- _is_ connected to your emotions, your mental health. You let that F eat at you for eight years and it brought your average down farther."

"I get it. But after an F, or multiple F's, one A doesn't bring your grade back up that quickly."

"He's been spending time with you. Including you in things. Those are your other A's. The sex, the reconnecting that you wanted, that was the tipping point that brought you back where you needed to be."

"Have I ever told you that you're my favorite?" Vivienne laughed as Kati embraced her. They fell backwards onto the bed and laid next to each other, both folding their arms behind their heads. "I'm glad you're here."

"I am, too. So what kind of trouble are we going to get into? I'm on vacation. I need a bit of trouble."

"It doesn't have to be a vacation, you know." Vivienne mused.

"What do you mean?" Kati turned her head to look at her friend.

"I mean... you could stay. Quit your job, move in with me. Find a job here. Eventually find your own place, if you wanted. You would be here because you wanted. You wouldn't be here to take care of me. Aren't you always saying that there's nothing in Florida for you anymore except your job and a shitty ex-boyfriend that you can't shake?"

"I'll think about it. Let's see how I feel in three weeks." Kati laughed. "Seriously, though. Would it be lame of me to want to do all of the tourist-y stuff? Because I really, really want to."

"I'll would be honored to do tourist-y stuff with you. I've never had the opportunity until now."

"Right." Kati clicked her tongue. "I kind of forgot."

"I bet John would take us."

"Ooh." Kati propped up on her elbows. "Who's John?"

"He's Sherlock's flatmate and best friend. He's a nice guy."

"Is he cute? I need a nice guy." Kati winked.

"First, I wouldn't know if he was or not. And second, his best friend just died. I'm pretty sure he isn't looking for a fling with a hot American tourist."

"I may have also forgot everyone thinks Sherlock is dead. Sorry." Kati shook her head. "Whatever. He can be my tour guide and I promise to not try and jump his bones. Cross my heart."

Vivienne laughed and laid her head on Kati's shoulder. "I'm so glad you're here."

xxxxx

**A/N:** Ugh. Again with the writers block. I apologize profusely. But I think I'm okay now even though I don't really like this chapter. I just needed to get this chapter out and I know how the next couple will go. Review, follow, favorite!


	10. Chapter 10

**Fully Alive**

**Chapter Ten**

_"Do not stand at my grave and weep._

_I am not there._

_I do not sleep._

_Do not stand at my grave and cry._

_I am not there._

_I did not die."_

**Two Years Later**

Vivienne watched from a desk in a small room, as Sherlock straightened his suit jacket.

"I think I'll surprise John. He'll be delighted!"

"You think so?" Mycroft smiled cynically.

"Hmm... I'll pop into Baker Street. Who knows- jump out of a cake." Sherlock said dismissively.

Vivienne frowned and piped up. She had been very quiet watching Sherlock get cleaned up. "Baker Street? John isn't at Baker Street anymore." She stood up and walked over to Sherlock and straightened his jacket a bit more.

Sherlock gave her an incredulous look.

"Why would he be? It's been two years. He's got on with his life." Mycroft added.

"What life? I've been away."

"Sherlock." Vivienne scolded.

"Sorry." Sherlock looked Vivienne in the eye. "You're hiding something from me. What is it?"

Vivienne took a deep breath and glanced at Mycroft. "Give us the room, Myc?"

Mycroft nodded and walked off the room, annoyed but with no objections.

"_Myc._" Sherlock said mockingly. "You sound like you've been spending time with my mother."

"Maybe I have been."

"Come again? I believe I misheard you."

"Don't be a dick. I met your parents at your funeral. After you... _left_... I thought they might like to know you had gotten married." Vivienne smiled and shrugged. "Which may or may not have led into them coming to Baker Street every other Saturday for dinner."

"For the past two years?" Sherlock couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"For the past two years. Mycroft comes, too, every once in a while. Once a month, at least."

"You're unbelievable." Sherlock gave Vivienne a once-over again. "That's not what you're hiding. You couldn't care less if I know that you've been dining with my parents."

"John is getting engaged. He's meet someone. ThatIpossiblyintroducedhimto." Vivienne jumbled all of the last words together on purpose.

"You did what?"

"He was sad, incredibly sad, all the time. I got a job working in the morgue with Molly."

"Finally putting that degree to good use, I see."

"It's kind of difficult to do an autopsy when you're fucking blind. But thank you for that. _Anyways._ She worked in pediatrics at Bart's. I thought they'd get along. Turns out I was right." Vivienne shrugged. "I was just trying to make things better for him."

"What else?"

"Kati moved into John's old room?" Vivienne was avoiding Sherlock's gaze.

"Vivienne." Sherlock's deep baritone reverberated in Vivienne's chest and she turned to give him a sheepish look.

"You're right. There is something else. I'm not sure- I mean, I don't know how important it will be to you, but you should know. There was- uh, there was a baby. I got pregnant..."

"Was." Sherlock picked up on the past tense. "You lost it."

"I didn't know I was pregnant until I woke up in the middle of the night bleeding everywhere. John helped. He took me to the ER. I had to stay a couple of days because I'd lost so much blood."

Sherlock began to get angry. "Who else knows about this? Everyone?"

"Gran and John think it was an ex in Florida, but yes. Everyone. Including your parents."

"And Mycroft?"

Vivienne nodded slowly. "He thought it would distract you. And he wasn't exactly sure where you were."

"MYCROFT!" Sherlock's voice vibrated through the room. His voice boomed as he spun around to see Mycroft walk smugly in. "Why was I not fucking told about this?"

"It wasn't life or death. I wasn't sure where you were and even if I was, it would have distracted you and you would have wanted to come home. It wasn't that important."

"_Important_? What do you know of importance? _She_ is important to _me. _And a baby is important to her. Of course I would have wanted to come home to be at _my wife's side_. Or did you forget about that little detail?" Sherlock was dangerously close to Mycroft and Vivienne almost stepped forward to intervene.

"Forgive me, brother mine. I won't make that mistake again." Mycroft stepped back and Sherlock regained his composure.

"Where's John going to be tonight?" He asked, like the previous altercation hadn't happened.

"How would I know?"

"You always know."

Mycroft sighed dramatically. "He has a dinner reservation in the Marylebone Road. Nice little spot. They have a few bottles of the 2000 Saint-Emilion ... though I prefer the 2001."

"I think maybe I'll just drop by." Sherlock smiled at Vivienne.

"You know, it is a possibility that you won't be welcome." Vivienne replied.

"No, it isn't." Sherlock turned to Mycroft. "Now, where is it?"

Mycroft feigned confusion. "Where is what?"

"You know _what_."

Mycroft nodded at Vivienne, who walked out of the room, only to return carrying Sherlock's Belstaff. Sherlock smiled at the sight and slid his arms in the sleeves as Vivienne lifted the coat into position. He raised an eye at his wife when he noticed that she had already popped the collar for him.

"Welcome back, Mr. Holmes." Vivienne smiled at her husband.

"It's good to be back." Sherlock stated, before pulling Vivienne to him and kissing her.

Mycroft just groaned and rolled his eyes.

Xxxxx

Vivienne and Kati heard footsteps coming up the stairs and sat their wine glasses down, expecting Sherlock, but coming face to face with a rather angry John instead.

"Tell me that he's lying. Tell me that you didn't know." John half-shouted, walking into the living room of his old apartment.

Vivienne took a deep breath. "John... Let me explain..." She stood up from her spot on the couch and took a step towards John as Mary came in the door, out of breath.

"I'm sorry-" Mary panted. "I tried to stop him."

"You- you knew." John didn't even take notice that his girlfriend had arrived. "You knew and you lied to me."

"It's really not that simple. It wasn't my intention to lie."

"Did you know at the funeral?"

Vivienne nodded. "Yes." She bit the corner of her lip. "I knew at the funeral because I helped him."

"Un-fucking-believable! You know, I bet you weren't even in Florida. You were with him, weren't you?"

Vivienne let the guilty look that crossed her face speak for itself.

"Oh, fuck me. Was it him that called you that day? Convinced you to leave?"

"John!" Mary scolded. "Let her speak. She wants to explain herself."

Vivienne ran her hands through her hair. "It wasn't him that called. It was Mycroft. I didn't know that I was going to see Sherlock until I got to the hotel room and he was there. He confessed that he'd been lying. We- you know, we made up. I still don't understand why he asked for my help with the suicide."

"I thought... I thought that after he died, you'd be the one to understand what I was going through. But no. You knew he was alive." John rubbed his eyes. "You both betrayed me. I can't-" John couldn't finish his sentence.

"We got married, John."

"Pardon?" John gave Vivienne a confused look, like he had misheard her.

"We got married. Day after the funeral."

"You got married... to Sherlock Holmes." John repeated slowly.

"I can't tell you why, John, but everything Sherlock did, he did for you. For all of us. You can believe me or not, but it's true."

If he wasn't going to let me know, at least you could have. I expect him to lie, not you."

"I kind of did tell you. The day of the funeral?"

John thought back.

_" 'You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.'" Vivienne quoted. "Sherlock died a hero. Maybe not in the eyes of everyone, but in the eyes of the ones that mattered. We never believed the lies, not for a second. And he knew that. As hard as he tried to convince you, you knew better. But he's not gone. Not really." She cleared her throat. "A wise man once said 'the ones who love us never truly leave us' and I choose to believe that."_

" 'He's not gone. Not really.' That's- that's what you said." John shut his eyes and let out a deep breath. "I- I have to go. Mary?" John turned to walk out without another word.

Mary reached forward and took Vivienne's hand. "I'll talk to him. Congratulations, by the way."

"Thank you." Vivienne gave a small smile and Mary followed John out the door.

"Well, that was interesting." Kati picked up her wine glass and took a drink.

"If he came here after seeing Sherlock, then Sherlock must not be far behind."

Just a few minutes later, Sherlock entered Baker Street still nursing a split lip.

Vivienne jumped up and ran to him. "Oh, my god. What happened?"

"John wasn't too happy with me. What are you doing in my flat?"

"I live here now. It's bigger than mine. When Kati decided to stay, I moved up here and she moved into mine. And after John moved out, she moved up to his room."

"You... moved in? Did you-?"

"Don't worry." Vivienne interrupted, lifting a tissue to Sherlock's lip. "I didn't mess with anything of yours. Most of my stuff is still downstairs, with the exception of some clothes, hygiene products, and of course, my skull. Doesn't she look nice on the mantle with yours?"

Sherlock turned his head to see the two skulls on the mantle sitting side by side. "Oh. That does actually look... nice."

"You do realize that married people live together, right? Or did you expect me to still live downstairs?"

"No- no, I thought you might, um, you know... Uh, what's your skull's name again?"

"Martha."

"Her and Billy make a good pair."

Kati picked up her wine glass and chuckled. "You two are weird as fuck. I'm going to bed."

Vivienne and Sherlock both said goodnight and turned back to look at each other.

"You're avoiding the question." Vivienne raised an eyebrow.

"I- I expected us to live together. I just didn't think it would be before I came home."

"You're cute when you're nervous." Vivienne pulled the tissue away from Sherlock's lip and gave it a once-over. "Go to the bathroom and take your shirt off. I'll get my first aid kit."

"What for? I'm fine." Sherlock winced as he took his jacket off and hung it up on his coat rack.

"Yes, because fine people wince taking off clothing. Bathroom. Strip. Now." Vivienne began to walk towards Sherlock's bedroom. "Now, Sherlock!"

Sherlock mumbled something semi-unintelligible as he stomped towards the bathroom.

"What was that?" Vivienne poked her head out of the bedroom.

"Good thing you aren't blind anymore. If you were, you would have heard me."

"You're right. I would have. Now, I'm giving you an opportunity to say something different. Something not rude and under your breath." Vivienne winked.

"I love you?" Sherlock gave a cheesy smile to his wife.

"That's better." Vivienne exited the bedroom with a rather large first aid kit. "Bathroom." She gave Sherlock a little nudge on the back to get him moving. "And for the record, I'll only be a nag when you provoke me."

Sherlock groaned as he entered the bathroom with Vivienne close at his heels.

"I love you, too." Vivienne placed a kiss on Sherlock's cheek as he sat down on the closed toilet seat.

"You could have just said you heard me." Sherlock complained as he began unbuttoning his shirt.

"I could have, but where's the fun in that?" Vivienne grinned.

Xxxxx

**A/N: **Voila. I managed to get out another chapter somehow. These bouts of writer's block are going to kill me. I had to look up the transcript for The Empty Hearse. I gave a couple of Mycroft's lines to Viv &amp; I also cut out Anthea and gave one of her lines to Viv, plus added extra to the scene. I think it worked out okay. Review, follow, favorite?


	11. Chapter 11

**Fully Alive**

**Chapter Eleven**

Vivienne smiled, but didn't open her eyes as she heard Sherlock enter their now-shared bedroom. "Mmm. Toast... Eggs... American bacon or English?"

"English." Sherlock replied.

Vivienne scrunched her nose. "Is that coffee?" She peeked out of one eye at Sherlock. "Are you bringing me breakfast in bed?" She opened both eyes and Sherlock looked at her expectantly, holding a tray of food. She sat up and folded up a pillow to prop behind her back. Sherlock sat the tray on Vivienne's lap and sat next to her. "You didn't cook this yourself, did you?"

"Oh, god, no. I'm not an idiot." Sherlock stated as he opened the newspaper. "Mrs. Hudson did."

Vivienne raised an eyebrow.

"What? I went to see if she had anything decent to feed you and she offered to cook. Figured it was better than takeaway."

Vivienne laughed as she stabbed at her scrambled eggs. "What would I do without you?"

"You'd have no one to bring you breakfast in bed. Obviously."

Vivienne swallowed her bite of eggs and shrugged. "Kati would. And she'd cook it herself."

Sherlock flipped the paper over at its crease to look at the bottom half and his eyebrows went up. "Oh, look. You made the news. Front page."

"I what?" Vivienne leaned over to see a picture of her and Sherlock gracing the front page of the newspaper. "You've been home two days and you're already in the news?"

" 'Sherlock Holmes walking hand in hand with an unidentified, blue-haired woman.' Well, they're obviously not paying any attention." Sherlock flipped to the second page. "Unidentified. If they were paying attention, they'd see the ring in your finger." He scoffed.

Vivienne sat back up and started back eating her breakfast.

"Have I mentioned I like the blue hair?" Sherlock asked, not looking up from the paper.

"No, you haven't. To be honest, I figured you hadn't even noticed." Vivienne shrugged.

"Of course I noticed. I notice everything you do. For instance, I noticed that you're eating the bacon even though it's not what you want because you think I'll be upset if you don't."

Vivienne furrowed her brow and hastily swallowed her bite of bacon. "You aren't even looking at me."

"I don't have to be. Like I said, I notice everything you do."

"So, I have a very serious question for you." Vivienne glanced over at Sherlock and noticed he had looked up from the paper. "Did you, you know, ever make Mycroft dress up as a pirate?

Sherlock gave her a look that told her she was being ridiculous. "That's your serious question?"

"I just want a straight answer!" Vivienne laughed. "There was no photographic evidence, only a few of you all dressed up by yourself. And when I asked, Mycroft grumbled, your mother laughed, and your father's eyes got all twinkly, like he was hiding something."

"I can't believe my mother told you about that."

"Oh, sweetie. I've had roughly 48 dinners with your parents in the past two years. And there were so many photo albums. _So many._ I've heard lots of little Sherly stories." Vivienne paused. "Or would you rather I called you Billy?"

"Fuck off." Sherlock picked the paper back up. "Are you finished?"

"Did you call yourself Bootstrap Bill?"

Sherlock glared at Vivienne and a low growl escaped his throat. "And just _why_ do you care so much?"

Vivienne's shoulders dropped and her eyes fell to her plate. "I'm sorry. I just- you've never told me about your childhood. So, all I could imagine was this little boy who never talked to anyone and just studied criminology and anatomy textbooks. And now, I get to see what you were really like. I'm sorry if I was even a little interested in your childhood."

All Sherlock managed was a "Hmph."

Vivienne stood up from the bed. "You know, you don't have to be so rude. I'm only trying to get to know you better. You are my husband now. The only part of you I know is a former drug addict that works with the police and is a brilliantly clever man that I fell in love with." She walked to the door but paused before exiting the room. "I thought I had lost you forever. I just wanted to know you." She walked out without another word and left Sherlock to mull over her words in silence.

She sat down at the kitchen table and waited. A few minutes later, Sherlock appeared out of the bedroom looking for her.

He stood beside her for a few silent moments before quietly stating, "I'm not any good at this."

"I know." Vivienne replied, not looking up at him. "But you could think before you speak, at least every once in a while. And especially to me."

"I'm... sorry."

"Thank you for saying that, because I know our was incredibly difficult for you, but you aren't quite forgiven." Vivienne looked up her husband. "This isn't some small romance anymore, Sherlock. This is a marriage now. It would do you some good to figure out what that means."

Sherlock was at a loss for words so he said the only thing he could think of. "I love you." He reached his hand out to touch Vivienne's, and she grasped it tightly. He tugged a little, signaling her to get up from her spot and she responded, getting up slowly. "I may never be perfect at this. My job will come first a lot of the time. I occasionally won't speak to you for days. I'll be rude. I might even be a bit crass at times. You'll come home to find experiments all over the flat. I won't do the shopping. I won't do dishes. I can't cook. And I don't clean up after myself. But I will love you to the best of my ability, just as I always have. And that has to be enough for you."

"I already know all of that. I married you anyways." Vivienne took Sherlock's other hand. "And I love you in spite of all of that."

"Because you're an idiot."

"Precisely because I'm an idiot. As long as you love me, that's enough. But you can't get angry about petty things. That's all I ask. And answer a personal question every now and then." Vivienne stood up on her tiptoes to place a kiss on Sherlock's lips. "We'll get this. It might take a while, but we will."

Sherlock pressed his lips to Vivienne's forehead as she came down off of her toes. "Oh, my darling. It'll take more than just a while."

Vivienne laughed. "Good thing we have the rest of our lives, then."

Sherlock smiled. "Good thing we do."

Xxxxx

**A/N: **It's short. It's fluffy. It's a bit cute. Sorry it took so long to get out. I've had a pretty busy month.

Question: in His Last Vow, did they ever actually confirm if Sherlock was high or was it just implied? I haven't watched it since it aired and I can't remember. I know Molly says his drug test is clean, but then she slaps him/scolds him for wasting his gifts. And then he said he's high to Mycroft, but at first I thought that was just an angry brother moment. Anyways, I need it for a future moment with Sherlock and Viv and I was just wondering if anyone knew 100% for sure. If no one does, I have one of two ways to write the scene. But I kind of believe that he was actually high, so I might just go with that anyways.

As always, review and such. I'm not to happy with the length of this one but felt the need to get a chapter out for you guys. Because I love all of you reading this even when I feel that the chapters I'm putting out aren't up to par.


	12. Chapter 12

**Fully Alive**

**Chapter Twelve**

**A/N: **Sexytimes in this one. Because NAKED SHERLOCK. *ahem* I mean, uh what? Yeah. Sex. Just so you know.

* * *

Vivienne walked into Sherlock's apartment to see John sitting at the table and Sherlock standing next to him, holding a cup of tea. She stepped up to Sherlock, puckering her lips, but he set his mouth into a straight line and shook his head.

"What? Can't kiss me in front of John? He knows what kissing is. He's been in a few more relationships than you have."

"Well..." His eyes drifted to the eyeball floating in his tea.

"Why is it always eyeballs?" Vivienne rolled her own eyes. "How was it? Please tell me that was an accident."

"It was. But it was... surprisingly okay."

John chuckled and stood up from his spot. "Well, I'll leave you to it. Thank you, Sherlock." He walked out the door after briefly hugging Vivienne.

"What was that about?" Vivienne asked, setting her purse down on the table.

Sherlock sat his cup of tea down and pressed a kiss to Vivienne's forehead. "He, uh, asked me to be his best man. Apparently, I'm his best friend?"

"Well, of course you are. What? You didn't expect that?"

"I absolutely didn't. I never expected to be anyone's best friend." Sherlock shrugged. "How was work? Anything interesting?"

"Go brush your teeth. I really want to kiss you and then we can make small talk."

"Fine." Sherlock grumbled as he made his way to the bathroom.

Vivienne went to the bedroom to change or of her work clothes. She shimmied out of her jeans and was just pulling her shirt off when she heard Sherlock behind her. "I could get used to this."

Vivienne blushed as she turned around. "Well, I spent a lot of money on this underwear set." The matching bra and panties were cream colored with a pink, lace trim. Vivienne put her hands on her hips and struck her best model pose. "You like?"

"Obviously." Sherlock closed the distance between them and ran his hands around Vivienne's waist, pulling her to him in the process. "How was work?" He asked, dipping his head down to kiss his wife on the lips.

"Mm, good. 20 year old male with an unexplained heart attack. 55 year old female with a stick through her eye into her brain." Vivienne ran her arms around Sherlock's neck and kissed him again. "Then the usual. Natural deaths. A suicide."

Sherlock leaned in for another kiss, this time a little longer, and he pulled Vivienne in as close as he could get her. She could feel his erection pressing into her.

"Is this your foreplay? Listening to the details of a day in the morgue?" Vivienne laughed and placed her hand on Sherlock's chest. She licked her bottom lip and kissed him once more.

"You know how I love it when you talk death and decay."

Vivienne leaned back a bit and chuckled. "Yes, I can see how someone dying makes a person want to fuck."

"Don't be sarcastic." Sherlock growled deep in his throat. "It's not the death, it's you. Your voice; watching your lips move. The way you absent-mindedly lick the inside corner of your lips when you're listening to me speak." Sherlock swallowed nervously and his breathing became shallower. "The scent of your perfume getting stronger as your body heat rises because you're passionate about what your telling me."

"Maybe I'm just passionate about you."

"Mm." Sherlock couldn't give a proper response. He was too busy watching Vivienne wet her lips. He also noticed her breasts rising and falling with each breath she took and, for the life of him, still couldn't understand why such a small act stirred up such a large, primal instinct inside of him. He could only think about her; not his cases, not the unfinished experiment in the dining room, not even the conversation he had had with John. Just her, the overwhelming desire to rip her expensive new underwear off and throw them to the side, and the need to get his own slacks off because they had become rather tight in the crotch.

Vivienne grinned when she noticed his eyes lingering on her chest and reached behind her back to unhook her bra. Sherlock's breath hitched in his throat as the piece of clothing fell to the floor.

One of Sherlock's hands left Vivienne's hip and slowly traveled up her side until he had cupped her breast. He ran his thumb over her nipple and a small noise escaped her throat. Her eyes were closed, her head leaned back. His free hand left her to unbutton his shirt and Vivienne gave a small wink as she began to undo his slacks.

The shirt fell away and Sherlock kicked his slacks away from his feet. Vivienne took his hands and pulled him on top of her as she laid down on the bed. Sherlock moved away, only to pull off his boxers, and he took his place back on top of his wife. It was then that he noticed she was still wearing her panties.

"You're not completely naked."

Vivienne gave Sherlock a sexy pout. "Maybe I was waiting for you to take them off."

Sherlock raised an eyebrow and sat up on his knees. He took the sides of her underwear and slowly pulled them down her long legs. "My god, you're beautiful." He said as he threw the dainty material to the floor.

"You just now noticing?"

"Of course not." Sherlock's voice was even deeper and lower than normal as he positioned himself at Vivienne's entrance.

"I love you." Vivienne whispered as Sherlock slid himself inside of her.

Sherlock moaned slightly and shut his eyes, dipping his head and pressing his forehead to Vivienne's. "And I love you." He lifted his head and gazed into her eyes.

They kept eye contact as Sherlock got his rhythm going, and Vivienne tossed her head back and closed her eyes. She dug her nails into Sherlock's back as he thrusted harder.

Her moans escalated in volume with each thrust. Sherlock bent his head and kissed Vivienne's neck, keeping up his pace, and only faltering once when Vivienne moaned loudly in his ear and the vibrations from her throat met his lips still attached to her neck.

Sherlock rested his forehead on Vivienne's and she felt the muscles in his back begin to tighten. A jagged moan escaped his lips. He was almost ready to finish.

"Get on your back." Vivienne breathed out. "Get on your back." She said again, a little more urgently.

Sherlock pulled out and obeyed, laying down on the bed. Vivienne sat up and moved quickly, straddling Sherlock and grabbing his headboard for support. She slid herself into Sherlock's erection and his hands immediately went to her hips, helping her get her own rhythm going as she pumped herself up and down his shaft.

Sherlock soon began thrusting along with Vivienne, his eyes never leaving her face. Except on the occasions where he would glance quickly down at her breasts bouncing with every thrust. Vivienne let go of the headboard and bent forward, brushing hey nipple across his bottom lip. Sherlock swiftly took her nipple into his mouth and Vivienne let out a surprised moan as his tongue flicked across it. She had stopped moving, her hands gripped at the pillow beneath Sherlock's head. But he couldn't stop. He released her nipple from his mouth and kept thrusting, harder and faster, as his hand traveled up and cupped her breast, his thumb rubbing circles over her saliva-slicked nipple.

"Oh, fuck." Vivienne moaned. "I'm gonna-"

Sherlock wrapped his arm around Vivienne's back and effortlessly flipped them back over so that he could be on top once again. Vivienne ran her hands down his back and dug her fingers in. "Sher- oh, fuck. Harder. Fuck!"

Sherlock let her finish before letting himself go. The feeling of her pulsing sound him was too much. He couldn't hold it in anymore. With a few final deep, slow thrusts he finished inside of her. (Which didn't go unnoticed.)

Sherlock leaned to kiss Vivienne quickly before collapsing next to her. He couldn't help but to notice the confused look on her face. "What's the matter? Did I do something wrong?"

"You, uh, you didn't, you know, pull out. I'm, uh, kind of, well, ovulating." Vivienne's cheeks turned pink.

"I know." Sherlock replied matter-of-factly.

"Oh! Well, um, okay. I mean, I just- ah, okay?" Vivienne paused. "Wait. What do you mean you know?"

"Do you want the scientific answer or the typical husband answer?"

"Scientific?" Vivienne cringed.

"Your cervical mucus, the discharge, it's clear." Sherlock looked over at his wife with an amused look. "Shall I go on?"

Vivien shook her head. "I should have said the other answer."

"You track your cycle on the calendar on the fridge and on your phone. Your phone send updates. I saw the one two days ago that said you had began ovulating."

"You do know what that means, right?"

"Yes, you're extra fertile. I've studied anatomy and the female body extensively." Sherlock reached to the floor and grabbed a throw pillow that had fallen. "Here." He handed the pillow to Vivienne. "Put this under your hips. They say it helps with gravity and pulling everything where it needs to go." He said nonchalantly, as he picked up his cell phone.

"Are you trying to get me pregnant?!" Vivienne sounded alarmed.

Sherlock glanced up from his phone. "Don't you want to be?"

"We haven't really talked about it."

"Yes, we have." He began texting someone, his fingers flying across the keyboard rapidly.

"Sherlock Holmes, put your phone down. Just when did we talk about this?"

Sherlock sighed and sat his phone on the nightstand. "Before I left, you said you wanted a family with me. And I told you that if I came home, I'd make it a reality. That's all I'm trying to do."

"Yes, I would like a family with you. But is it what you want? You've only been home a couple months. We have all the time in the world."

"I want whatever you want. But if you're upset with me, I apologize." The look on Sherlock's face wasn't one seen too often. One of sadness, like someone had just kicked his puppy.

"Oh, Sherlock, sweetie, I'm not- I'm not upset." Vivienne moved closer and pressed her forehead to his cheek. "I'm just surprised, is all."

Sherlock turned his head and captured Vivienne's lips with his. "If you asked me for the fucking moon, I'd get it for you. But you asked for a family, a baby. If that's what you want, that's what I want."

"Okay." Vivienne said quietly. "So, are we going to do this? Are we going to try to have a baby?"

"Is it what you want?"

"Yes. More than anything."

"Then, yes, we are." Sherlock gave Vivienne a small smile but it quickly disappeared.

"Sherlock?" Vivienne furrowed her brow. "You're going to be a great father. You know that, right?"

"Well, we'll see about that."

"You listen to me and you listen good. Fuck what you think about yourself and what everyone else thinks. You're a good man. You're smart. You're fantastic, actually. And brilliant and clever. There is no one else I would rather have a child with. I wouldn't have married you if I thought any differently."

Sherlock smiled. "Alright. I- I believe you. I'm sorry. It's just-"

"I know."

"How did I get so lucky?" Sherlock pulled Vivienne close to him.

"You don't believe in luck." Vivienne laid her head on Sherlock's shoulder.

"Not until you, I didn't."

Xxxxx

**A/N: ***squeeeeeeeee* Baby Holmes soon? Or maybe not. You never know!

Review, follow, favorite!


	13. Chapter 13

**Fully Alive**

**Chapter Thirteen**

**A/N: to the guest commenter on chapter One claiming I stole this plot/story/whatever who's probably never going to see this but whatever. Fuck it. First, I've never even read the story you're talking about, so telling me I "stole it" is pretty farfetched. And second, calling someone a thief without proof is pretty fucking rude. Similar ideas happen. Is Stephanie Meyer a thief because she wrote a story about a human in a love triangle with 2 supernatural beings because The Vampire Diaries was written before it and involves a human girl in a love triangle with 2 supernatural beings? Guess what? The Lion King is fucking Hamlet. But I guess that makes Disney a thief? Sorry for the small rant, but that just really got to me. All I'm trying to do is write a story. One, because it's what makes me happy. And two, because I want to make others happy. Constructive criticism is one thing. But blatant rudeness and accusations are another.**

Vivienne walked into her bedroom with a pouty look on her face and her shoulders slumped. She crawled into bed next to Sherlock and immediately turned her back to him.

"Something wrong?" Sherlock asked, looking up from his phone.

"No..." Vivienne answered slowly.

"You want to rephrase your answer?" Sherlock sat his phone down and turned his head towards his wife.

Vivienne rolled onto her back and sighed. "I started my period. Again."

"Oh." Sherlock reached for his phone again, but then the realization of why Vivienne was upset hit him. "Oh! I'm sorry, darling. It's only been..." Sherlock glanced at the date on his phone. "Has it really been five months already?"

"Believe me. It has. I was late this time and started to get excited, even though it's just been a couple days late. And then I started cramping today. And it decided to show up just I was brushing my teeth to come to bed."

"Are you sure that's what it is and not another...?" Sherlock stopped himself from saying the word.

"It's not that. That was different. I'm just... discouraged, I guess. It's not fair. Last time, it took a week and we weren't even trying. And now... it's like, I don't know, it's like we don't even need to be having sex because we would have the same result we're getting now. It's pointless."

"Vivienne, don't-"

"I'm sorry, baby. I'm tired, cranky, and cramping. Don't take any of that to heart. I didn't mean it."

"'Baby'. That's a new one. Don't know if I like that one." Sherlock leaned over and gave Vivienne a kiss. "I know you didn't mean any of it. It'll happen when is meant to, I suppose."

"But what if it doesn't?"

"It will. Go to sleep. We have a wedding to attend tomorrow."

"I don't think I'm going to go. I just want to lay on the couch with a bottle of Tylenol and a heating pad and my shows. And drown my sorrows in junk food."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It's those cramps that radiate pain down into my thighs and I really don't want to have to walk a lot tomorrow. Tell John and Mary that I'm sorry. You can have Molly Skype me from the ceremony."

"If that's what you want."

"I'm hurting, Sherlock, in more ways than one. Yes, it's what I want. You'll be handsome, as always. And you'll be great giving your speech. You can tell me all about it when you come home." Vivienne raised herself up to kiss Sherlock. "I love you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight. I love you, too." Sherlock reached up and turned the lamp off, darkening the room. He rolled onto his side and reached out to touch Vivienne, laying a reassuring hand on her lower stomach. She placed her hand on his and he began drawing absent-minded circles with his thumb. "You'll be okay, too, you know."

"I know." Vivienne whispered as she drifted off to sleep.

Xxxxx

When Sherlock walked into Baker Street after leaving the wedding, he wasn't shocked to see Vivienne in the same place he had left her that morning. She was curled up in a blanket on the couch, with the heating pad cord sneaking out to the plug in the wall. A bottle of ibuprofen sat on the floor next to a half-empty glass of water and a half-full ashtray.

"You're smoking again." Sherlock said, as he pulled his tux jacket off and hung it next to the door.

Vivienne glanced up at her husband and rolled her eyes. "I think I deserve a few."

Sherlock tutted as he pulled off his bow tie. "Don't be stingy. Scoot over."

Vivienne sat up and pulled the pack of cigarettes out from under her pillow. She pulled two out and stuck them in her mouth, lighting them both at once. "How was the wedding?"

Sherlock kicked his shoes off and joined Vivienne on the couch. "Why do you think I want a cigarette?"

"That bad, huh?"

"Nothing too out of the ordinary." Sherlock took a drag of his cigarette. "They got married, I said my speech at the reception, someone was almost murdered, I played the waltz I wrote for their first dance, and I left early."

"I'm sorry. What?"

"I left early. I'm sure I stayed longer than they expected anyways."

"Um, no. Before that. After your speech, before the waltz."

"Oh. Yes. Someone was going to be murdered. We didn't know who. I had to solve the case." Sherlock took another lazy drag from his cigarette. "It was John's former general, in case you were wondering. And the wedding photographer was the culprit."

"It never stops for you, does it? This game of murder solving."

"The game, my dear wife, it's always on. You'll learn that one day."

"Oh, I've already learned that. I just thought that maybe for one day it would pause." Vivienne shrugged and brought her cigarette to her lips. "How was everything else?"

"Dreadfully dull. Molly was there with her fiancé. He's an idiot. When I was trying to solve the case, he suggested a meat dagger as the weapon. _A meat dagger. _Fucking imbecile, that one. Molly stabbed him with her fork." Sherlock chuckled. "That was probably the highlight of the day. Well, besides telling Mary..." Sherlock trailed off.

"Telling Mary what?"

"Nothing. It's not important."

"Sherlock..." Vivienne put her cigarette out slowly.

"She's pregnant."

"Oh. Well, okay, then." Vivienne's face was unreadable to Sherlock. "You ready for bed? I'm ready for bed." She stood up off of the couch.

"Are you upset?"

"Of course I'm not upset. Why would I be upset?"

"Because Mary wound up pregnant before you." Sherlock replied, putting his own cigarette out and standing up.

"Tact is not your strong suit, is it? Good night, Sherlock." Without another word, Vivienne walked into their bedroom and shut the door behind her.

Sherlock waited for a few minutes before following. As he neared the door, he could hear the muffled sound of Vivienne crying. He took a deep breath and wondered "WWJWD? What would John Watson do?"

Opening the door slowly, he walked in almost silently and shut the die behind him, letting the latch click softly into place. He removed the rest of his suit and crawled into bed wearing nothing but his boxers. He didn't even care what he was wearing. His wife needed comfort and he was determined to give it to her. He crawled into bed and wraps his arm around Vivienne's waist. He pulled her close to him and she rolled over to face him, burying her head in his shoulder.

Xxxxx

**A/N:** review, follow, favorite. Or whatever. Still kinda bummed, tbh, so it would make me feel better. TIA.


	14. Chapter 14

**Fully Alive**

**Chapter Fourteen**

**A/N: ****Penelope** **and ****Archfiend****, thank you for your kind words. They really made me smile! I'm really trying to not let the rudeness get me down and you both helped a lot. Also, ****Penelope****, I've been meaning to say that I'm so glad I have such a dedicated fan for this story. I pretty much just wait for your reviews after I post because you always have really positive things to say and I just wanted you to know that they are much appreciated! Now, onwards to the story...!**

The commotion in the living room had died down and Vivienne poked her head out of the kitchen and smiled at John.

"Morning!" She chirped before heading back into the kitchen.

John followed her and watched as she began doing dishes. "Bit early for that, isn't it?"

"Well, I have work in a couple hours and if I don't do it, it'll never get done."

John chuckled. "That's very true."

"Hey, listen." Vivienne lowered her voice. "If anyone says anything, I'm the housekeeper."

"Wha-?" John began to ask, but as if on cue, Mary's friend Janine made her appearance in the kitchen, wearing nothing but one of Sherlock's button-down shirts.

"Oh, John, hello." She said happily and then said he noticed Vivienne. "Vivienne." Her tone changed a bit. "You're here early."

"Well, I do have another job. Thought I'd get this done before I head out."

"No offense, but I don't even know why he hired a housekeeper. We know he doesn't like his things touched. Mind putting on some coffee?"

"Sure." Vivienne dried her hands and moved over to the coffee maker. "Personally, I think he only did it to appease you, _dear._"

John stared in awe at the conversation taking place in front of him.

"So, how do you know John?"

"Well, I-" Vivienne started.

"Oh, right. You live downstairs. John used to live her. I'm so forgetful." Janine laughed. "Have you seen Sherl?"

"Sherl?" John chuckled.

Vivienne faked a smile. "He's in the bath."

Janine gave a small finger-wagging wave and skipped off to the bathroom.

John peeked down the hallway in time to see Janine disappear in the the bathroom and then turned and raised an eyebrow at Vivienne. "What the fuck is going on?"

"It's for a case." Vivienne said in a monotone voice, and flashed a quick, fake smile before rolling her eyes.

"Are they- I mean- you know..."

"I don't know. I don't want to know. Just like I don't want to know where you found him this morning. Well, I didn't want to, but Molly called me. Anyways, I'd say don't say anything to Mary, but I'm sure you're already forming the phone call in your head."

"But aren't you a little... uncomfortable?"

"Oh, fuck. Yes. I'm living back downstairs. This woman is sleeping in my bed. I'm going batshit."

"Have you told," John cleared his throat. "_Sherl_?" He stifled a giggle.

Vivienne laughed a little. "Yes. And you know what he said?" She straightened up her back to stand taller and deepened her voice, throwing in a British accent for good measure. "_You know my work comes first. This is for a case._"

"That was pretty good."

"I've been practicing my mocking for this exact conversion." Vivienne shrugged.

Just then, a door opened and Sherlock walked down the hall, looking much better than before. He paused at the kitchen. "Oh. Vivienne. You're here... now. Shouldn't you be at work?"

"Nope. I'm swing shift today, not dayshift. You usually remember..." Vivienne trailed off as Janine entered the room. "Lovely chat, John. But I have dishes to finish."

Janine led Sherlock into the living room and John followed quickly behind them. Vivienne put her headphones in so she didn't have to hear the conversation in the other room.

A few minutes later, there was a small tap on her shoulder. She pulled out and earphone and turned around. "10 minutes of your tone before you go to work?" Sherlock asked. He leaned in for a kiss, but Vivienne stuck get hand out to stop him.

"I can still see lip gloss on your mouth. Unless you're making a fashion statement, I'd rather not kiss you with another woman's slime on your face."

"Enough. It's..."

"For a case. Yeah, got it."

Mrs. Hudson poked her head in the front door. "That was the doorbell, Sherlock. Didn't you hear it?"

"It's in the fridge. It kept ringing." Sherlock sounded annoyed.

"That's not a fault, dear." Mrs. Hudson reprimanded.

"Who is it?" John asked.

Sherlock's eyes widened and he turned back to Vivienne. "Go upstairs to John's old room. Lock the door. And don't come down until I tell you."

"Sherlock, I have to get ready for work."

"Do as I say. Now. Hurry."

Vivienne nodded. The look in Sherlock's eyes almost terrified her. She ran upstairs as quietly as she heard her grandmother say "Mr. Holmes said you can go up now."

20 minutes later, she received a text with only the word _Safe. _in it from Sherlock.

She walked back down to the apartment and went in. "What the hell was that?"

"Magnussen." Sherlock growled.

"Magnussen? You mean the media guy? Sherlock, please tell me that's not the case you're working. He's dangerous."

"I don't have to tell you anything." Sherlock snarled, clearly agitated.

"You're right. You don't. I'm now late for work. Goodbye, John. Sherlock." Vivienne grabbed her bag from the chair it was occupying and stormed out of 221B.

* * *

Vivienne peeked her head into her apartment to see if Sherlock was still awake. She was a bit surprised to see him sitting at the table alone.

"Wow. Your concubine felt comfortable enough to leave you by yourself for the night?"

"My concubine?" Sherlock turned to look at his wife. "Oh, you mean Janine. Yes, something about a meeting tomorrow and wanting to be fully rested. I don't know."

Vivienne sat down on the couch and propped her feet up on the coffee table. "Mind if I rest here for a minute before going back downstairs? My feet are killing me and I'm exhausted."

"You're allowed to sleep in your own bed, you know." Sherlock stated, turning back to his work at the table.

"No, thanks... I'm... fine here..." Vivienne yawned and almost immediately fell asleep.

Sherlock gave a half-smile to himself as a small snore escaped her lips.

A few hours later, Vivienne awoke to someone shaking her gently. She opened one eye and peeked out. "Sherlock? What's wrong?" She muttered sleepily.

"Come dance with me." Sherlock whispered, taking Vivienne's hand in his and pulling her up off of the couch.

"What time is it?" Vivienne mumbled, wrapping her arms around Sherlock's neck.

"About 3:30 in the morning." Sherlock pulled a small remote from his pocket and pressed a button. The beginning notes of _The Way You Look Tonight_ surrounded the pair.

"I love this song." Vivienne whispered, laying her head on Sherlock's chest.

"I know." Sherlock replied, putting the remote down. He laid his hands on Vivienne's stomach, letting them linger a bit longer than he should have, before running them down to her hips.

_Some day, when I'm awfully low  
When the world is cold  
I will feel a glow just thinking of you  
And the way you look tonight,_ Frank Sinatra crooned out of the speakers.

"My behavior lately has been inexcusable and the things I've asked of you are more than a husband should ask of his wife. And I apologize sincerely." Sherlock sighed as they show danced around the living room.

_Yes, you're lovely, with your smile so warm  
And your cheeks so soft  
There is nothing for me but to love you  
And the way you look tonight_

"Just tell me one thing. Were you high?"

"Vivienne, I'm on a case. The things I do-"

_With each word your tenderness grows  
Tearin' my fear apart  
And that laugh..wrinkles your nose  
Touches my foolish heart_

"Don't lie to me."

Sherlock's shoulders fell. "I'm sorry, my darling. I won't do it again."

_Lovely ... Never, never change  
Keep that breathless charm  
Won't you please arrange it? 'Cause I love you  
Just the way you look tonight_

"Ever?"

"Ever. This case- this case is almost over. And everything will go back to normal. I promise."

"You better keep that promise, Holmes."

Sherlock chuckled. "I think I might. It's been quite lonely without you here, _Holmes_."

_And that laugh that wrinkles your nose  
It touches my foolish heart_

_Lovely ... Don't you ever change_  
_Keep that breathless charm_  
_Won't you please arrange it? 'Cause I love you_  
_a-just the way you look tonight_

_Mm, Mm, Mm, Mm,_  
_Just the way you look tonight_

"Well, I would hope so. Life without me can get pretty boring."

"Of course it does, Vivienne. Of course it does." Sherlock pressed a kiss to get temple as the song ended. "Let's go to bed, shall we?"

"I've never wanted anything more in my life." Vivienne responded, giving her husband a small smile. "I miss you."

"I miss you."

Xxxxx


	15. Chapter 15

**Fully Alive**

**Chapter Fifteen**

Vivienne looked up from her magazine when she heard Sherlock start to move around. His head turned to look around the room and she smiled when they locked eyes.

"Hey, sleepy head. You taking advantage of the morphine?" She laughed and stuck her magazine in her bag.

"They gave a drug addict a morphine pump. What did you expect?" Sherlock drawled, still trying to wake up from his drug-induced sleep.

"You were shot. You're in pain. I forgive you for taking advantage of medication simply because you survived." Vivienne leaned closer to the bed and reached for Sherlock's hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was shot. How do you think? Where's John?"

"I sent him home to get some sleep when I got here. He said you were a bit agitated before you took your little nap."

"Yes, well. Considering who shot me..." Sherlock trailed his sentence off.

"Who shot you?"

"I already told you-"

"Yes, I know. You told me you can't say anything. But that's bullshit. You almost died. You were in an operating room for hours and you're protecting the person who put you there."

"She wasn't aiming to kill. She would have hit my head or heart if she wanted to kill me." Sherlock said matter-of-factly.

"She?" Vivienne raised an eyebrow.

"If you would have let me speak, dear wife, all I was going to say was I've already told you. Yes, I said that I wouldn't say anything, but if you figure it out on your own, that's not my fault."

"And just how am I supposed to figure it out?"

Sherlock rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically. "You can't tell me that after all these years, you haven't learned a thing from me."

Vivienne began to think hard about everything that had happened since Sherlock had made it to the hospital. She closed her eyes, reliving every moment. "Oh, my god." She whispered. "The first thing you said when you woke up after surgery."

Sherlock looked at her expectantly.

"Mary. But why? Why was she there in Magnussen's office?"

"I don't know." Sherlock replied. "But I intend to find out. Magnussen had dirt on her, obviously. But what, I don't know. She's a hell of a shot, though. I'll give her that."

"John will be devastated."

"I know." Sherlock sounded sad for his friend.

"What do we do?" Vivienne squeezed Sherlock's hand.

"Leave it to me. I'll handle it."

Vivienne only nodded. She stood up from her chair and say on the bed next to Sherlock. She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. "I love you. You'll do the right thing."

"I sure hope so."

* * *

Vivienne was sitting at the dining room table with Sherlock's parents having a nice chat when she started to feel funny. Right before she lost consciousness, she heard John and Sherlock come through the room.

"Did you just drug my pregnant wife?!" She heard John shout.

"Well, in all fairness, I drugged mine, as well."

And then there was nothing.

Vivienne awoke hours later, to see she wasn't the only one confused.

The sound of a helicopter overhead startled her. It was too close. She ran to the door and threw it open in time to see Sherlock, john, and Mycroft exiting the craft with grim looks on their faces.

"Oh, Sherlock. What did you do?" She asked as they got closer.

Sherlock said nothing. He just pulled his wife it to a tight embrace and sighed.

* * *

Vivienne took Sherlock's hand as he stood in front of her, saying goodbye once more.

"You sure you don't want to see the plane off?" Sherlock asked, trying to make eye contact.

"No. I can't." Vivienne swallowed thickly. "It should be easier this time, knowing for sure that I won't see you again. But it's not."

"Would you rather I spend the rest of my days in a prison?"

"At least I'd know where you were. Do you really have to go?"

"Yes. It's for the best." Sherlock reached out and put his finger under her chin. He lifted her head until she was forced to look in his eyes. "I love you."

"I love you."

Sherlock leaned down to kiss his wife one last time. "Goodbye, my love." He began walking to the door, but Vivienne's voice stopped him.

"Sherlock, I'm-" She paused. "I'm, uh, I'm gonna miss you."

"I'll miss you, as well." And with that, he was gone.

* * *

Sherlock took the cell phone from the flight attendant, having been told it's Mycroft.

_"Hello, little brother. How's the exile going?"_

"I've only been gone for four minutes."

_"Well, I certainly hope you've learned your lesson. As it turns out, you're needed."_

"Oh, for God's sake, make up your mind. Who needs me this time?"

_"England."_ Mycroft replied simply.

A few minutes later, the plane stopped taxiing down the runway and Sherlock exited the aircraft.

"Vivienne. Have you tried to reach Vivienne?" Were the first words out of his mouth.

"No. She's at home. She should be fine."

Sherlock began to frantically search his pockets for his cell phone. "Call her. Now!"

John pulled out his phone while Sherlock looked for his own. "She's not picking up."

"Try again." Sherlock said frantically as he finally found his phone.

"Still no answer."

"We need to get to Baker Street."

Sherlock climbed into John's back seat as he dialed his wife. "Come on. Pick up. Pick up!" He punched the back of John's seat in frustration.

"Sherlock!" John yelled back at him.

"Sorry. I'm sorry."

"Sherlock, calm down. I'm sure she's fine." Mary said, trying to stay calm herself.

When they pulled up to 221b, Sherlock leaped out of the car before it came to a complete stop. He ran inside and up the stairs. When John and Mary made it inside, they found Sherlock standing silently in the living room.

"I've looked in every room. She's not here." He held up her phone. "This was in the kitchen. Next to a pot of water that had almost boiled away on the stove. I turned it off."

"Well, maybe she-" John began.

"She's gone. And she didn't leave her of her own volition. But," Sherlock took a good look around. Nothing was out of place. "she didn't put up a fight. Whoever it was snuck up on her, incapacitated her."

"We'll find her." Mary said reassuringly.

"Moriarty didn't do this himself." Sherlock stated, ignoring Mary. "No, he doesn't get his hands dirty. This was one of his men. John, call Lestrade, have him being the entire forensics team. No one is that good. No one leaves absolutely no evidence."

John pulled his phone out and dialed Lestrade.

"Moriarty doesn't get his hands dirty, but I guarantee you that wherever she is, he's there. He'll want to keep a personal eye on her."

"We'll find them both, Sherlock. Don't worry." Mary reached out and gave Sherlock a loving pat on the arm.

"Oh, I'm not. But he should be." Sherlock gave a chilling smile. "Because when I find him, I'm going to personally rip his throat out with my bare hands."

Mary shrugged, not at all frightened by Sherlock's admission. "Well, he deserves it. He shouldn't have kidnapped your wife." She smiled at Sherlock. "Don't let him go out quickly either. Long and painful."

"I planned on it." Sherlock winked, but developed a slightly worried look. "You know, I think, as I was leaving, she was going to tell me she was pregnant but changed her mind."

"Oh, Sherlock..." Mary whispered.

"I already knew, of course. I knew at my parent's house. I don't think she did, though."

"She'll be alright. They both will be. Moriarty'll keep her alive. She's not much use to him dead."

"One can only hope. Don't tell John?"

Mary pretended to zip her lips, lock them, and throw away the key. "Your secret is safe with me."

Just then, John entered the room, hanging up his phone. "They're on the way."

"Good. Let's take this bastard down once and for all."

Xxxxx


	16. Chapter 16

**Fully Alive**

**Chapter Sixteen**

Vivienne woke up in a dark room, lying on a very uncomfortable Army cot. She winced at the sight pounding in her head before sitting up to take in her surroundings. As she looked around the room, a man came out of the shadows. He had his hands in his pockets of a very nice, very expensive suit.

"Nice suit. Westwood?" Vivienne commented.

The man chuckled. "Good eye." He replied in his slight Irish brogue.

Vivienne swung her legs over the side of the cot. "You must be Jim. Can I call you Jim? Or do you prefer Richard?"

Moriarty laughed and pulled his chair out of the corner and took a seat in front of Vivienne. "Jim's perfect, if I can call you Vivienne."

Vivienne smiled. "Of course. Did you ever think about going by Dick? Personally, I always wondered how anyone got Dick from Richard. Well, besides asking him nicely."

"You're quick. No wonder Sherlock likes you."

"Are you taking notes? Think he'll like you more if you're like me?" Vivienne crossed her ankles.

"No, no. Nothing like that. Just wondering how someone like you wound up with someone like him." Jim half-smiled and crossed his arms.

"Obviously, it was his sense of humor and complete love of humanity." Vivienne rolled her eyes. "What can I say? I love me a sociopath. Think we could do something about this bed? It's a little squeaky."

"Oh, I'll see what I can do." Moriarty stood up. "Do you understand why you're here? Any questions, comments, concerns?"

"Nope." Vivienne replied, popping the 'p'. "I understand perfectly."

"Good. I'll come check on you later. I hope you're comfortable." Moriarty turned to walk out of the room.

"What I don't understand, though..." Vivienne's voice stopped Moriarty in his tracks. "Is why you didn't stay dead. There was no record of Jim Moriarty anywhere, you made sure of that. You could have faked an incredibly tragic death for Richard Brook, got yourself a new identity, and lived the rest of your life somewhere warm and sunny. But I have a theory, though."

Moriarty turned around, intrigued.

"I get it, you know. The whole keeping your hands clean thing. No one can pin anything on you. It's all hearsay, really. It's very... Charles Manson of you. I mean, we see where that got him, but I digress. But when you don't get your hands dirty, you tend to make mistakes. Or rather, the people who do the work make mistakes."

"I don't make mistakes."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far. But mistakes were made. The first one, making sure Sherlock was really dead. I'm assuming you didn't, because you were too busy playing dead. You didn't see him fall. You didn't see him land. In fact, only a small handful of people know how he made it to the ground alive and you weren't apart of that club. Meaning, one of your men was on the ground to make sure but didn't see what happened between the roof and the sidewalk."

"I _don't_ make _mistakes_."

"Just because you say it doesn't make it true. Mistake number two, blood. Specifically, yours."

Moriarty inched his way closer. "What are you talking about?"

"The blood you left on the roof. Only three people, besides your men, knew you were up there, So the blood stain baffled everyone. And yet, somehow, no one tested it. For a year and a half, at least. So, when I found it and had the brilliant idea to test it and get your blood on the system, I found something out. Not only are you an ass, but you're part cow." Vivienne grinned.

Moriarty took his hands out of his pockets and closed in on Vivienne. "_What are you talking about?_"

"Bovine. Blood. Someone decided that cow blood was good enough for their bestest boss ever. What I don't understand is the fact that you were on top of a hospital. They literally have refrigerators full of blood bags and yet, someone thought cow blood was better."

Moriarty closed the space between him and Vivienne and grabbed her chin. "If you don't _shut up_, I will _KILL YOU._" He hissed sinisterly.

"No, you won't." Vivienne replied in a sing-song voice. "I haven't told you my theory yet."

Jim let go of Vivienne's chin forcefully. "Enlighten me."

"If you kill me, you lose the rest of your playing pieces. All of this, playing dead and coming back to life, is all apart of the game. And one thing you learn from spending time with Sherlock is that the game, dear Jim, is always on. And you couldn't handle not being in it." Vivienne chuckled. "And you know that if you kill me, you'll be running for the rest of your life, looking over your shoulder, and hoping that the next time you turn around Sherlock Holmes won't be behind you."

Moriarty turned back around and began walking to the door. "Is there anything else I can get you?"

"I did mention the squeaky bed?"

"I'll see what I can do." Moriarty rolled his eyes.

"Thanks. I've gotten kind of used to a pillow-top mattress. Could use some sheets, too."

"Silk, I presume?" Moriarty chuckled.

"Eh, too slippery for my taste. Satin, though. Satin's good. And an extra firm pillow. I like the support it gives my head."

"Yeah, I'll get on that. I'll be back later." Moriarty winked and walked out, locking the door behind him.

"Wow." Vivienne said to the empty room. "Already better than my last kidnapping. So hard to find good kidnappers these days." She pulled her cell phone out of her bra and stared at it. "Come on, Sherlock. How long is it going to take to realize that wasn't my phone?"

* * *

Sherlock pulled Vivienne's phone out of his pocket. In the for days that he had had it, he would pull it out of his pocket and just stare at it. He wouldn't try and turn out on. He would just place it in front of him and think. But today was different. Today, he pressed the little button on the side and watched the screen come to life. When the lock screen became visible, he gasped. "JOHN! Get in here now!"

John ran into the room as fast as he could. "Did you figure it out? D'ya know where she is?"

"No, but we can find her. She has her phone."

"Sherlock, you're holding her phone. She left it here."

Sherlock turned the screen to John to show him the picture. It was a stock photo of a field of sunflowers. "No, this one is a decoy phone. Her other phone has a picture of the two of us on it's lock screen. She fucking hates flowers."

"Maybe she had to reset her phone and just hasn't gotten around to changing the picture."

Sherlock ignored John. "Call Lestrade. Tell him we need as many men as he can get." Sherlock pulled out his laptop. "I can use the GPS on her mobile to track her location. When I have it, tell Lestrade. We'll phone Mycroft on the way. He'll know what he needs to do."

* * *

A hail of gunfire jerked Vivienne out of a deep sleep. She sat up quickly when her door opened and a tall figure stated at her from the door frame.

"Sherlock!"

"Come on. Let's get you out of here. Hurry."

Vivienne grabbed her phone and ran to Sherlock. "I knew you'd find me. Took you long enough, though." She planned a kiss on his lips as he grabbed her arm.

"Run."

Sherlock did his best to hold onto Vivienne as they ran and simultaneously shield her from the flying bullets. They were almost to the door when Vivienne screamed and fell to the floor. Sherlock fell to his knees and saw a pool of blood forming underneath his wife.

"Vivienne..." Sherlock breathed out.

"My hip. It's right above my hip. Oh, fuck." She winced at the pain. "Fuck, that hurts." She felt herself becoming lightheaded. "I'm losing too much blood. It went all the way through." She whispered.

Sherlock picked her up off of the floor and carried her, half running, to the door. "There's an ambulance outside. Just stay with me."

Sherlock kicked the door open and stopped, looking for the ambulance.

Lestrade saw him exit the warehouse with Vivienne in his arms and sent a gurney their way.

As Sherlock laid Vivienne down, she smiled at him. "I love you." She mumbled, before she passed out.

Lestrade took one look at Sherlock and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Go with her." He nodded towards the ambulance.

* * *

Sherlock was sat next to Vivienne's Josiah bed holding her hand, when her thumb twitched. The twitch shocked him and he dropped her hand

"Vivienne? Are you awake?"

Vivienne smiled without opening her eyes. "Sherlock. You're here."

"Of course. How are you feeling?"

"Like I got shot." She opened one eye to peek out at Sherlock, but both eyes soon shot open and she began to look frantically around. "Sherlock? Sherlock!" She reached out but couldn't find him.

Sherlock grabbed her hand again and she tightened her grip. "What's wrong?" But the way she was acting told him everything he needed to know. He could practically predict her next words.

"I can't see." Her eyes were still rapidly searching for something that wasn't there. "Everything's black. It's gone. I can't see."

Xxxxx

**A/N: **well, I'm just full of cliffhangers, aren't I? Stay tuned to find out more and find out if there really is (or still is) a Baby Holmes! I'm mean. I'm sorry. But I'm an addict for dramatics. What can I say? Review, follow, favorite! Xoxo


	17. Chapter 17

**Fully Alive**

**Chapter Seventeen**

The doctor looked over his notes, perplexed by the woman in front of him. "Every test we've run has been negative. We can't find anything that would be the cause of your blindness. The only diagnosis we can come up with is that it's-"

"Psychosomatic." Vivienne finished his sentence for him.

"Well, yes."

"It's how my brain deals with trauma. Some people get PTSD, I go blind."

"Yes, your husband informed us that you had dealt with this before. Would you mind explaining the circumstances to me?"

Vivienne sighed. "When I was eight, I was kidnapped by my grandfather's best friend. When the ransom was paid, they knocked me unconscious for easier transport. I was in a coma for four days and when I woke up, I couldn't see. First, they attributed it to brain injury, but my brain healed and my eyes didn't."

"Alright. How limited was your vision?"

"Everything was just blurry. I could still see shapes and colors. If people were too far away, I couldn't distinguish facial features. It wasn't as dramatic as this."

"And how long did it last?"

Vivienne let out a dry laugh. "Twenty years."

"Okay. Well, we have no reason to believe that it will last that long this time. We'll set you up with a therapist and-"

"I don't need therapy. I'm not traumatized. But my body thinks I am."

"You were shot-"

"I'm _not _traumatized."

Sherlock watched the doctor make a few notes in silence. "Doctor, what about the, uh-"

"Yes, I'm getting to that. Did they tell you the specifics of the surgery? How it went?"

"Didn't have a chance. When I came out of the anesthesia and couldn't see, you started all of your tests."

"Okay, well, your husband said that after you got hit, you believed the bullet had went all the way through. Luckily, it hadn't. It lodged about two inches into you. A few more millimeters and it would have torn into your intestines. You're lucky."

"Yeah, totally lucky." Vivienne scoffed.

"I'm going to send an ultrasound tech up and we'll see how everything is on that front. Sound good?"

"Well, I won't be seeing anything. Good or bad." Vivienne muttered under her breath.

"Yes, doctor. That would be great. Thank you." Sherlock answered for her. When the doctor left, Sherlock turned to Vivienne. "I get that you're upset, but you don't need to act that way."

"That's rich coming from you, you perpetual dick. I'm not upset. I'm fucking pissed. There's a difference. What happened to Moriarty? Did you get him?"

"No. He wasn't there when we arrived. We have some of his men, though. The ones who made it out alive, anyways."

Vivienne scoffed again. "Figures."

"Vivienne, I'm sorry-"

"Hello!" A strange voice said coming in the door. Vivienne could tell she was wheeling in a machine. "How are we today?"

Vivienne put on a fake smile. "Just peachy!"

"Alright, let me get set up right quick and we'll see how everything is going." The nurse went about her business, pulling up a chair and getting the ultrasound machine started, all while humming to herself. Which made Vivienne roll her eyes. "Okay, dearie, pull your gown up for me. This might be a little chilly. We try to warm it up but just in case."

The doctor walked in as the nurse squirted the ultrasound gel onto Vivienne's exposed stomach. "Good. Right on time, then. I've got a few questions while she gets a good picture up."

Vivienne nodded. "Any symptoms? Morning sickness?"

"No morning sickness. Just swollen breasts. Uh, I've had a couple headaches. I'm starting to get a little bloated. And some joint pain."

"All perfectly normal."

"Well, would you look at that." The nurse said. "Perfect little peanut."

"I wish you could see this." Sherlock mumbled.

"Me, too." Vivienne cleared her throat. "Um, how far along?"

"I'd say about eight weeks, three days."

"Sounds about right."

"Is everything okay?" Vivienne heard John ask from the door. "Do we need to come back?"

"No, everything is perfectly fine. Come in." Sherlock replied.

Mary gasped when she realized what the nurse was doing.

"Sherlock, is that- Vivienne, are you-?" John couldn't complete a sentence.

"It's a baby, John. Obviously, I didn't eat it." Vivienne smiled. "I'm going to take Mary's silence as you already knew."

"Sherlock told me that he suspected when you were kidnapped."

"Would you like to hear the heartbeat?" The nurse interjected.

"Yes, please. It's the one thing I can do." Vivienne replied.

The sounds of blood rushing filled the room. "180. Perfect." The nurse said.

"Good, good." The doctor wrote a few notes. "Everything looks good. I can refer you to an obstetrician when you're discharged. We'll keep you here for a couple days to monitor the two of you. You'll be out of here before you know it."

"Thank you, doctor." Vivienne smiled and the doctor left the room, closing the door behind him. "Apparently, Sherlock knew a couple weeks before Christmas. I wasn't even sure that I'd missed my period yet. I just thought it was late."

"Did you really expect me to not notice?" Sherlock scoffed. "You severely underestimate me. And you're never late."

"Congratulations, Sherlock." John's voice caught in his throat. Vivienne could tell that he was hugging Sherlock.

"Hey. Come on. He's not pushing the thing out of his penis. He did 45 minutes of work and he's getting a pat on the balls."

"45 minutes? Really?" Mary asked, a bit flabbergasted and slightly intrigued.

"I was coming to you next. Sit up." When she did, John wrapped his arm around her and she returned the gesture. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." Vivienne grinned.

"How are you?" Mary asked, reaching out and taking Vivienne's hand.

"I'll be fine once I can see properly."

"Vivienne, can I ask a question?" John asked quietly. "Why did you have a second phone? Sherlock said it was a decoy phone."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Vivienne sighed.

"Try me."

"She had two phones in case she was ever kidnapped again, for the exact reason I used it for. So we'd know to track her GPS." Sherlock answered. "What I don't know, though, is how you knew to leave it out."

"I was starting out the window when I saw them walk up. It seemed shady, so I grabbed the second phone from the desk and went to check the pot on the stove. I shoved my real phone in my bra. They came in, I pretended not to hear them, and they came up behind me and knocked me out. Took you long enough to figure out that it wasn't my phone."

"I was afraid to turn it on. I didn't want you staring at me from the screen, reminding me that I might never find you. I'm sorry."

"I forgive you. It was enlightening, actually. If he wasn't in-fucking-sane, he'd be a pretty interesting guy. We had a few deep conversations over fast food burgers."

Sherlock stared at Vivienne in disbelief.

"Stop staring at me like I'm crazy."

"How did you-"

"I don't have to be able to see, to know what look you'd be giving me. He was frighteningly, almost normal. Except for the career criminal thing. His parents must be so proud."

"You know what?" Mary piped up, knowing that Sherlock and Vivienne were probably about to argue. "Who's hungry? John and I will go pick something up. Chinese sound good? Okay. Come on, dear." She said quickly, pulling John out the door.

* * *

Vivienne opened her eyes, surprised by the light trying to invade her closed eyelids. She smiled softly as she realized her sight was coming back. Sherlock was dozing in the chair next to her bed with a magazine half-opened laying across his chest.

"Morning, stranger." She said, startling him awake.

"Morning." Sherlock mumbled, quickly realizing she was making eye contact and smiling. "You can see me."

"Not a hundred percent. Maybe like eighty-eight. But that's good enough for me. For now, at least."

"I'll go get the doctor."

A few minutes later, the doctor was checking Vivienne's eyes. "How many fingers?" He held up his hand.

"Three."

"Okay, good." He pulled out his ophthalmoscope and put it up to Vivienne's eye, checking her retinas. "Sit up for me?"

Vivienne sat up and the doctor opened her gown and removed the bandage from her bullet wound. "Looks good. Does it hurt?"

"A little. Not to bad though. Maybe a three or four."

"Alright. Great. I'll have a nurse in here to get you a new bandage and then I'll sign your discharge papers. And I'll get you that referral for the obstetrician."

"Doctor, can we, uh, can we do one more ultrasound? You know, check on the baby once more? They've done so many the past couple days and I would like to be able to see one. I mean, just so I can see with my own eyes that he's okay."

The doctor gave Vivienne a knowing smile. "Of course. For medical purposes, we'll need to check one last time. And then you're free to go."

"Thank you."

About half an hour later, the ultrasound tech wheeled her machine in. "I hear you can see again. Congratulations."

"Thanks."

"Let's check on this baby one last time, shall we?"

"Yes. Please." Vivienne pulled her gown up. "Do you think you could print off some stills for me?"

"Absolutely, dear."

Vivienne motioned Sherlock over and took his hand. "I know this is old news for you now, but I'm nervous. It still hasn't hit me yet."

"I'm still processing it and I knew before you did."

Vivienne swatted Sherlock's arm as the nurse pressed the camera to her belly and an image formed on the screen.

"There it is. Just a wee little thing. Won't be for much longer though." The nurse smiled.

"Look at that. We did it."

Sherlock let out a deep breath. "Yes, we did."

Vivienne looked up at Sherlock to see a small tear form in his eye. "You're not allowed to cry. I'm crying." She said as tears spilled out of her own eyes.

"I'm not crying. I don't cry." Sherlock stated. "But you're happy. And I'm happy because you are."

"You want this, right?"

"Of course I do. Anything for you."

Vivienne stared back at the computer screen, now speechless. "It's a miracle."

"What is?"

"I tied down the un-tie-able man and now I've made him a father. I must be Wonder Woman."

Sherlock couldn't help but chuckle. "Yes, you did do the unthinkable, didn't you?"

Vivienne just smiled. She couldn't think of anything else to say. Sherlock bent down and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Mrs. Holmes."

"I love you, too, Mr. Holmes."

Xxxxx

**A/N: **BABY HOLMES! Obviously I couldn't let her lose the baby this time or keep her eyesight gone. I'm mean, but I'm not cruel. But of course, things can't always be gravy. So stay tuned! Review, follow, favorite! Xoxo


	18. Chapter 18

**Fully Alive**

**Chapter Eighteen**

Vivienne sat down at Mary and John's dining room table with a sigh as Mary sat a cup of tea down in front of her.

"So, how's Sherlock doing with all of this?" Mary asked, taking the seat across the table.

"Honestly, I think he's still in shock." Vivienne took a sip of her tea.

"Well, I would think so. With him being, you know, him."

"I get it. I do. He grew up never even thinking he'd get married or have a baby. But he's going to drive me insane. Between this and getting shot, it's like I turned into a porcelain doll. It's been a over month and he barely touches me. And when he does, he acts like he's going to break me."

"Give him time, Viv. He'll come around. Give him time to get used to the idea."

"I'm trying. Sometimes I feel like he only agreed because of the amount of sex we'd be having."

"No. He agreed because it made you happy. That's all he wants, is you to be happy. Just talk to him. Tell him what you're feeling. Just remember, you're pregnant. Your hormones are all out of whack. You could be worrying over nothing."

Vivienne stared into her tea cup. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll talk to him. Thanks."

"Speaking of talking, have you told Mrs. Hudson yet?"

"Oh, um, no, I haven't. I thought I'd wait until I left the first trimester. Which is, like, tomorrow. I'll tell her soon. I just want to deal with Sherlock first. Make sure he's not going to have a mental breakdown or something."

"He'll be fine. Don't worry."

* * *

Sherlock walked into his kitchen to see Vivienne at the sink. "What are you doing? You're going to hurt yourself."

"Are you going to wash dishes?" Vivienne turned her head to look at Sherlock. She raised an eyebrow at his silence. "I didn't think so." She pulled off the long, yellow, rubber gloves she was using to protect her hands and turned around, leaving against the counter. "Hey. Come here."

Sherlock walked towards Vivienne. He came in close to her and put his hands on her hips, but just barely. It almost felt like he wasn't even touching her. Vivienne wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a small smile. "I'm rather busy at the moment. Just came by to grab a couple things."

"You're always busy lately. I just want five minutes." Vivienne bit her lip. "And a kiss."

Sherlock leaned down and barely brushed his lips over Vivienne's. He let her hips go but she was quicker than he was. She grabbed his arm and held on tight.

"What's going on?" She asked, not letting go of him.

"I'm busy." Sherlock said, impatiently.

"Busy with what? Moriarty? He can wait five fucking minutes. Besides, he'll show up when he's ready. When you least expect it."

"Well, right now, I'm trying to stay one step ahead of him and you're severely interrupting that."

"I don't like this." Vivienne swallowed nervously. "You're acting the same way you did before you told me you were leaving Florida."

"Well, maybe you should take a hint!" Sherlock hissed, ripping his arm from Vivienne's grasp.

"Whatever your problem is, pushing me away isn't going to do any good. Ending a marriage and ending a relationship are two totally different things. So what's wrong?"

"You're annoying me. That's what's wrong."

Vivienne reached up and slapped Sherlock across the face. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" She crossed her arms as Sherlock touched his stinging cheek.

"Everything! Everything is wrong with me! Obviously, doing this my way isn't going to work, so we'll do it yours." Sherlock took a deep breath. "You want to know what's wrong with me? I can't do this. Being married, having a baby. I. Can't. Do. It. It's not me. It's not my life. It's yours. I did it for you, too make you happy. But I'm not."

Vivienne's arms dropped to her sides and tears began forming in her eyes. "Okay." She replied quietly.

"I love you. I do. But this isn't what I wanted in life. I can't be _domestic._ I can't be _normal._"

"I never asked you to be." Vivienne said in a whisper.

"Didn't you, though? 'Sherlock, I want a family with you.' 'Sherlock, I want a baby.' I only said yes to shut you up!"

"I think I need to go now."

"Yes, I think you should. It's probably for the best."

"You'll either get over yourself or you'll divorce me. Either way, I'll give you a few days to think."

Sherlock just nodded.

Vivienne walked to the bedroom and packed a small bag of essentials quickly. She grabbed a couple things from the bathroom and walked to the door. Sherlock hadn't moved from the spot he had been standing in. She walked past him not looking him in the face, so he couldn't see the tears falling down her cheeks. But by not looking at him, she missed the tears forming in his own eyes.

As she walked by him, he squeezed his eyes shut and when he opened them, she was gone.

Vivienne made her way down to the basement apartment and knocked. Kati opened the door, but only barely, and looked at her best friend through the three inch crack.

"What's wrong? What was all that shouting about?" Kati asked.

"Uh, I've texted Mary. I'm going to go stay there for a few days. It's a long story. I just wanted to let you know."

"Are you alright?" Kati asked, clearly distracted by something.

_"Who's at the door?" _Came a voice from Kati's bedroom. It sounded familiar but Vivienne was too distraught to try and place it.

"It's nothing!" Kati called back. "Text me when you get there. And call me tonight? Tell me everything."

"Of course. And I'll call in the morning to get you up for work."

"Right. Okay, good. I love you."

"I love y-"

Kati shut the door quickly.

Vivienne shook her head. Typical Kati. Too busy entertaining a man she probably hardly knew.

Vivienne soon found herself on John and Mary's front step. She knocked, took a deep breath, and waited. Mary opened the door and as soon as she saw the crying girl on her porch with a suitcase, her face turned to one of concern.

"I think I'm losing him." Vivienne whispered hoarsely. "I'm losing him."

Mary ushered Vivienne inside without another word and pulled her into a hug as soon as the door was shut.

* * *

John came home an hour and a half later and didn't look all that shocked to see Vivienne, still distraught, laying on his couch with her head in Mary's lap.

"Sorry I'm late. I stopped by to see Sherlock. He's in a bit of a foul mood."

Vivienne's eyes widened. Now, she knew why she recognized the voice in Kati's apartment and why Kati was so eager to get away. She tried to lose the surprised look on her face but John noticed it and let out a long, defeated sigh. "Yeah, he's a bit on edge. Mary said I could stay here until he cools down or decides he's really done with me. Whichever comes first."

John noticed Vivienne's suitcase still sitting by the couch. "Come on. I'll show you to your room. Sherlock will be fine in a few days."

As they walked down the hallway, Vivienne hissed in John's ear. "You're an asshole."

John kept quiet until the walked into a bedroom and he shut the door. "You can't say anything. I was in the middle of breaking it off with her when you came to the door."

"How long has it been going on?"

"I don't know. A few months. After everything with Mary and Magnussen, I just felt like I didn't know anything anymore."

"She's pregnant with your child, John!" Vivienne exclaimed.

"Well, that didn't keep her from lying, now did it?"

"So, that makes it okay. She's carrying your baby and you're off getting some strange everyday after work."

"Kati's not 'some strange'. I have been there before." John tried defending himself.

"Yeah, I know. Or have you forgotten that I walked in on the two of you quite a few times after she moved here? And neither of you knew how to quiet the fuck down."

John's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Just don't say anything. I've got my head back on straight."

Vivienne scoffed. "Maybe you can screw Sherlock's back on."

"If I knew what was going on with him, I'd help. But honestly, I'm not sure. Maybe he thinks that by pushing you away, he's protecting you. What I wouldn't give to see inside his mind for a day."

"Yeah, me too. Um, I think I'm going to go to bed. It's been a long day."

John nodded. "Yeah. Okay." He walked to the door but paused with his hand on the doorknob. "Are we okay?"

Vivienne sighed. "It's over? For good?"

"Yes. God, yes. I don't know what I was thinking."

"As long as it's over, we're okay. It happens again, I'm gonna be the one telling Mary."

"Deal." John smiled. "Everything will work itself out."

"I hope so. Goodnight, John."

"Goodnight, Viv." John let himself out of the room and shut the door behind him.

Vivienne laid down on the bed and pulled out her phone. She had a text from Sherlock. She unlocked her phone to open the message but it was blank. Probably an accident, she thought.

Little did she know that Sherlock was standing outside the building, checking on her, before heading back to Baker Street.

Xxxxx

**A/N: **Like I said last chapter, mes amies, things can't always be gravy. BUT things also aren't always what they seem. So, if you find yourself quoting Vivienne and asking "What the fuck is wrong with Sherlock?" (And John for that matter), stay fucking tuned! Review, follow, favorite! Xoxo


	19. Chapter 19

**Fully Alive**

**Chapter Nineteen**

Mary opened the door to Vivienne's room a crack and poked her head in. "He's here to see you."

"I don't want to see him." Vivienne said back from her spot on the bed.

"I'm not taking no for an answer." Sherlock spoke up, pushing past Mary and walking into the bedroom. He shut the door behind him.

Vivienne sat up in bed and scowled. "I said that I didn't want to talk to you."

"I was only coming by to tell you that you can come home in a couple days."

"And what if I don't want to come home? It's been two weeks, Sherlock. And you just decide to tell me I can come home? I don't understand you."

"I did what I had to do to keep you safe. And for now, I think everything is okay. You can come home. I don't see what the problem is."

Vivienne rubbed her eyes in annoyance. "You don't see the problem? Do you not remember a word you said to me?"

"Of course I remember. It wasn't real. I didn't know what else to do. I was protecting you." Sherlock sighed.

"Protecting me? What exactly were you protecting me from?"

"Does it matter?" Sherlock raised his voice. "You're safe. It was all fake."

"What were you protecting me from?"

"Moriarty! Happy?"

"You're so obsessed! Just because he took me once, doesn't mean it'll happen again." Vivienne shook her head. "You're such a fucking idiot."

"He bugged the flat!" Sherlock growled. "I found three of them while you were at work that morning. I didn't know what he had planned, but I needed you out of there."

"He- what?"

"I found four more after you left. I can't risk you being taken again. I needed you safe. I said what I had to to get you to leave. And don't say that I could have just told you. I wanted it to be believable that you were leaving of your own volition. If we had pre-planned anything, it wouldn't have seemed real."

"You're fucking stupid."

"I'm sorry. It was the best plan I had. But if you could just forget about it and realize that it wasn't real, you can come home."

"It certainly felt real." Vivienne ran her hand through her hair.

"That was the point." Sherlock rolled his eyes.

"No, coming from you, it felt too real to be all lies. You're a terrible liar. Always have been. So, tell me which part was real. Or you can forget it."

Sherlock grumbled. "It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me."

Sherlock shook his head. "The truth. Fine. I'm terrified. Of everything. Including you. You have terrified me from the moment I met you. I never took much notice of women. The only sex I had ever had was purely experimental. But you were young, beautiful, and you didn't take shit from me. The life I lead is not one that any sane person would bring a spouse into, never mind a child. I'm an addict. I'm a thrill-seeker. I always have to be right. But I fell in love with you the moment I laid eyes on you, which went against everything I believed in. And it terrified me."

Vivienne untangled herself from the comforter on her bed and stood up. "That's because the person you tried so hard to bury- the little boy who learned with a passion, let his mother kiss his boo-boos, and wanted to be a pirate- isn't as deeply buried as you want him to be. You're human and being human is... well, it sucks. Sometimes, Sherlock, you need to listen with your heart a little more than your head. You fucked up. Don't try to deny it. And I'm not happy with you."

"Yes, I know." Sherlock looked down at the floor.

"Don't think you're forgiven quite yet, either. I'm scared, too. Having a baby is scary. And having to deal with a psycho hellbent on destroying everything you love doesn't help. But you need to get over yourself. You're not alone here."

Sherlock looked up, a retort sitting at the edge of his tongue, but as soon as his eyes grazed over Vivienne's midsection, he forgot what he was going to say. "My god. You've gotten... bigger." He said, amazed.

"Yes, thank you for the reminder than I'm getting fat. It's what happens when you grow a baby." Vivienne deadpanned.

Sherlock stepped forward and placed his hand on Vivienne's small baby bump. "No, I didn't mean it like that. You just- it wasn't this big when you left."

"It's really not that impressive. It'll get bigger. I've got 26 more weeks. Right now, it just looks like I ate too much for dinner."

Sherlock placed his other hand on the bump. "It doesn't look like that at all. It's- it's beautiful." A deep look clouded his face as he ran his hands over his wife's stomach. He furrowed his brow and let a deep sigh out of his nose. "I'm so sorry. I've taken advantage of you, for my own comfort, and I never thought how it would affect you."

Vivienne chuckled. She raised her hands up and cupped Sherlock's face, bringing her own head down a little to look him in the eyes. "You made a mistake. One you won't make again. And I made a mistake in taking your shit. But I'm not doing it anymore. This life that we have together, and the one we created, won't get taken for granted again. We clear on that? I love you, but I'm not going to let you push me around. You have a tough choice to make? You come talk to me. Deal?"

"I love you." Sherlock ran his hands from Vivienne's stomach to her back and pulled her close. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

Vivienne pulled back a little. "Deal?" She whispered.

"Yes, deal." Sherlock walked Vivienne backwards until she bumped into the bed and sat down.

"I'm still angry at you." Vivienne said as she pulled off her snug-fitting tank top, exposing her bare breasts and stomach. Her breathing became shallow as she watched Sherlock remove his scarf and coat and toss them to the floor. She scooted backwards on the bed a little and laid down. Sherlock kicked his shoes off before climbing on top of her. "Just be careful. Everything is extremely sensitive. Especially my breasts." Vivienne reached up to unbutton Sherlock's shirt. "They're sore and sensitive to the touch. I can't be held responsible for the sounds that come out of me if they're touched."

Sherlock took that as an invitation to lean down and take one of Vivienne's nipple into his mouth. Vivienne yelped, but it turned into a rather loud moan as he flicked his tongue back and forth. She smacked Sherlock in the shoulder. "They're going to hear me!"

Sherlock grinned cheekily. "Well, at least they'll know we made up." He sat up on his knees to finish removing his shirt. He discarded it in the floor with his other things. "You practically served them to me on a silver platter, telling me that." He said, undoing his belt.

"That wasn't my intention." Vivienne gently slapped his stomach. She reached forward and unbuttoned his jeans. Sherlock stood briefly to slide his pants and underwear to the ground.

He bent back down and claimed Vivienne's mouth with his, their lips moving ferociously in unison as his hand snaked down her torso, across her bump, and under the waistband on her pajama pants. Sherlock broke the kiss to whisper in her ear. "I dare you to not make a sound." He kissed her neck softly as he slid one finger, then two, inside of her.

Vivienne opened her mouth to moan loudly, but caught herself in time. The small squeak from the back of her throat that resulted caused Sherlock to smile as he pumped his fingers a little harder and kissed her neck a little rougher. "Enough. Enough." She whispered hoarsely. "Just fuck me already."

Sherlock removed his hand from Vivienne's pants to sit up. He pulled her pajamas and underwear off together. He looked over her body, marveling at the woman beneath him. He reached forward and placed his hand back on her stomach. His lips almost twitched into a small smile. "Now, don't forget what I said."

Vivienne pressed her lips together and looked up at Sherlock, maintaining eye contact as he slid himself inside her.

Vivienne tried to resist but she squeezed her eyes shut and couldn't help but to mutter "ouch."

Sherlock stopped and pulled out. "Did I hurt you?"

"It's okay. Just not as much room down there."

Sherlock looked around the room and when he found what he was looking for, he patted Vivienne on the hip. "Lift up."

Vivienne lifted her butt up in the air. Sherlock stuck a pillow underneath her butt and she put herself back down.

"Let's try that again, shall we?"

Vivienne nodded and locked eyes with Sherlock once more as he entered her again. Her mouth opened in a silent moan and she leaned her head back. Her breathing became erratic as she tried to focus on both Sherlock and staying quiet.

Sherlock had one hand on Vivienne's hip and the other grasped at the comforter as he found his rhythm. Vivienne dug her nails into Sherlock's arm with one hand and the comforter with the other.

Sherlock moved his free hand, the one on her hip, down between her legs and brought his thumb down to her opening, massaging her clit. Vivienne couldn't help but to let out a rather loud moan.

Sherlock stroked his thumb around in circles and he could feel her heating up around him.

"I'm gonna cum." Vivienne whispered, trying to force back moans.

"I can't hear you."

"I'm gonna cum." She said a little louder. "I'm gonna- oh. Oh!" Vivienne couldn't help it.

Sherlock rode out Vivienne's orgasm with her. Listening to the breathy sounds escaping her and feeling her pulsing around him brought him over the edge. He thrusted harder into her, a guttural sound escaping his own throat. He fell forwards, catching himself on his elbows before any of his weight landed on Vivienne.

"I'm still angry at you." She said as he rolled to the side and onto the bed.

"I know." Sherlock shrugged.

"We should fight more often. We haven't had sex like that in a while."

"I should probably go." Sherlock stated, but made no effort to get up.

"You honestly think I'm going to let you leave after that? No way."

"You can't make me stay." Sherlock replied.

"You're right. I can't." Vivienne rolled over and crawled to one side of the bed, getting in between the sheets. "You can go if you want. But I'd like you to stay."

"What would mummy and daddy think if they caught me here in the morning?" Sherlock chuckled.

"That were two of the most fucked up people they know." Vivienne grinned. "Just know that if you stay, we're going to talk."

Sherlock groaned. "About what?"

"I don't know. Are you staying or going?"

"Oh, of course I'm staying." Sherlock crawled under sheets next to Vivienne. "Now what's so important that we need to talk right this moment?" He rolled over onto his side, pulling Vivienne to him and placing his hand on her stomach. He kissed her shoulder and waited for an answer

"Well, there's the little matter of us having a baby and we still haven't told your parents. Or Gran."

"Can't we just wait until it gets here to let them know?" Sherlock scrunched his nose. "Ugh, they're going to be so _happy_."

"That's not a bad thing. And no, we aren't waiting. Pretty sure Gran will notice before then."

"My parents won't if we don't see them until then."

"I'm gonna kill you." Vivienne grinned. "Come on. You don't want to make your mother happy?

"Well, I don't mind as long as it happens far away from me. How about you just call them? That could work."

"No. We're going to tell them in person."

Sherlock rolled his eyes. "Is that really necessary?"

"Yes, very. Now go to sleep. I'll still be here in the morning."

"Well, I would hope so. Otherwise, I'm going to have an awkward time explaining why I'm here and you aren't."

Vivienne just rolled her eyes. "Goodnight. I love you, Holmes."

"I love you, Holmes." Sherlock gave a half-smile before kissing his wife. He watched her begin to fall asleep as his thumb rubbed up and down her bump. Her eyes closed and a small smile formed on her face when Sherlock pulled her as close as he could.

Xxxxx

**A/N: **So, I never actually plan on writing sex every time i start a chapter but hey, shit happens. So, dun dun dun. Is everything going to go okay for once? Of course not. But maybe I'll be nice and let it be alright for a couple chapters. And yeah, I didn't see the John and Kati thing coming either. Hahaha. Sometimes, the words just come out of my fingers before my brain can process it. And then I'm like "oh hey random idea, there you are." Anyways, I'm going to try and work that in somewhere but if I don't, oh well.

Review, follow, favorite! Xoxo


	20. Chapter 20

**Fully Alive**

**Chapter Twenty**

Sherlock groaned. "Oh, for god's sake. Will you just tell me?"

"Nope!" Vivienne laughed. "Everyone will be here shortly and you'll get to know then."

Sherlock shouted in frustration. "Oh, come on! I don't understand why you sent me out of the room, anyways. I already know what it is."

"Oh, you do, do you?" Vivienne grinned.

"It's a boy." Sherlock stated.

"I'm not telling you. Your parents are ten minutes away. You can wait a little while longer."

"No, they aren't. I called them. Told them not to come. Just tell me!"

"Your mom just called me. Try again." Vivienne replied.

"It's a girl."

"I'm not telling!"

"Fine. It's a..." Sherlock trailed off.

"Run out of options, did you?" Vivienne giggled and kissed Sherlock on the nose. "You're cute when I know something you don't."

Sherlock just grumbled as a "Yoo-hoo!" came from the door.

"We're in the kitchen, Gran!" Vivienne called out, crossing her arms over her stomach.

Mrs. Hudson entered the kitchen and sat a deli tray down on the counter. "Are you two having a domestic? I heard shouting."

"Sherlock is just mad because I won't tell him the sex of the baby." Vivienne laughed. "He's been up all night researching wives tales."

"He does get a bit grumpy when he stays up all night." Mrs. Hudson agreed. She stepped towards Vivienne and placed a hand on the ever-growing bump. "This is so exciting. A great-grandbaby! Oh, how I wish your father was here to see this. Have you phoned your mother?"

"I tried, but she had no idea who I was. I could have been the fucking President for all she knew." Vivienne shrugged.

"It's getting bad, yeah?"

"The bad days outweigh the good. Most of the time, she still thinks it's 1979 and Jimmy Carter is in office." Vivienne laughed. "Good days, she thinks it's 1995 and she's appalled by computers. The best days, she's lucid enough to know it's 2014. I caught her on one of those days once. She asked me what twerking was."

"Have you told your aunt to let you know when she has her best days?" Mrs. Hudson looked sad for her granddaughter.

"Yeah, but she never does. You know she hates me. Like its my fault my mother developed early onset dementia."

Mrs. Hudson rubbed Vivienne's arm. "I'm sorry, my dear." She took a deep breath and decided to lighten the conversation. "So, how are you announcing the sex? Young people come up with such clever things these days."

"Well, actually, I have a cake. The doctor told me what it was, I went to the bakery and told them I needed a cake with the right color in the middle of it, and a gender neutral theme on the outside. It was all really exciting." Vivienne glanced over at Sherlock, who had grabbed his laptop, and smiled. "I'm gonna make Sherlock cut the cake and reveal the color inside. Blue for a boy, pink for a girl."

"You're carrying low and have been craving salty foods. The cake is blue inside." Sherlock said, not looking up from his laptop.

Just then, a knock came at the door. "I'll get it." Mrs. Hudson said, smiling.

Vivien grew nervous as she heard Mr. and Mrs. Holmes, and John and Mary enter. She turned to Sherlock. "You go greet everyone. Tell them that we have an announcement. And then I'll come out. I'm going to go text Kati really quick and remind her to come down. And I have to pee." She grinned as she heard Molly and Lestrade come in.

Sherlock rolled his eyes and sat hours laptop on the counter. "I still don't understand why we're doing this. We could have just called."

"I'm doing it because it frustrates you. And because it will make your parents happy that we did it face to face." She kissed Sherlock quickly and made her way to the bathroom.

She had her hand on the doorknob to exit the bathroom when she heard Sherlock say, "Alright, alright. Everyone settle down. Mother! Quiet." He glanced down the hall to see Vivienne walking towards him. "Mother, Father, we have an announcement of sorts. Vivienne is... with child."

"Oh!" Mrs. Holmes gasped as Vivienne walked into the room, her shirt right over her belly. She stood up, stopping at Sherlock to hug him tightly, and moved over to Vivienne. "How far along are you?" She asked, hugging Vivienne.

"19 weeks today." Vivienne smiled.

"And you've been keeping this from me every time we talked? You naughty girl." Mrs. Holmes grinned.

"Well, we wanted to wait to tell everyone until the first trimester had passed. But John and Mary found out on accident. And Gran has the eyes of a hawk."

"We're the last ones to know?" Mrs. Holmes looked a little disappointed.

"I didn't mean to wait this long. But the timing for us to get together was never right and I couldn't bear to do it over the phone. I wanted to see your faces." Vivienne smiled. "Good news, though. I found the sex out early this week. And i'm the only one who knows. There's a gender reveal cake in the fridge. I'll bring that out later."

"Well, any excuse to eat cake." Mrs. Holmes laughed. She cupped Vivienne's face in her hands. "A grandbaby! I never thought we'd have the privilege."

The two women glanced over at Sherlock, deep in quiet conversation with his father.

"I know." Vivienne smiled. "It was all his idea, too. Well, mostly. He knew it's what I wanted. So, he took initiative and decided we should."

"I'm glad he found you. You're good for him." Mrs. Holmes grinned, rubbing Vivienne's belly.

Kati entered and gave a nervous side-eye to John on the couch.

"Oh, good. The prodigal friend has arrived. Can we get on with this stupid thing now?" Sherlock half-shouted.

"I'm not late, am I? I was... caught up."

"Yes, I'm sure that was it." Sherlock mumbled.

"You're fine, Kate." Vivienne smiled nervously at her friend. "I guess I will go get the cake, then."

She exited to the kitchen and came back a few minutes later holding a cake covered in white fondant with pink and blue elephants decorating it, small paper plates, and a knife. She smiled, biting her lip, as she sat it down on the table. Everyone gathered around, chattering excitedly.

"Darling." She handed the knife over to Sherlock. "Would you do the honors?"

Sherlock grumbled as he cut into the cake, but stopped when he pulled the piece out and laid it on a plate. "Well, I wasn't expecting that." He said, starting at the half-pink slice of cake.

"Oh, my god, it's a girl." Mrs. Holmes broke the silence from the group. "A girl!"

Everyone in the small group cheered. Hey began making small talk as pieces of cake were passed around.

"Do you have a name picked out?" Molly asked, as she took a plate.

"Norah Charlotte Elise." Vivienne beamed. "I picked Norah because I liked it and Charlotte because it sounds a bit like Sherlock. And he picked Elise. It's my mother's name and my middle name."

"That's beautiful." Mrs. Hudson said with tears in her eyes. Everyone murmured in agreement.

They all made their way into the living room and sat to eat their cake.

"I'll come up a couple weeks before you're due and help you clean up around here. And if you'd like, I can stay after the baby is born to help you out." Mrs. Holmes offered.

"That's not necessary, Mother." Sherlock said quickly.

"Don't mind him." Vivienne laughed. "If you'd like you stay, that would be fantastic. Between you and Gran, I'll have all the help I need. As long as you make grumpy-pants do some of the work."

"Oh, I'll make sure he does his fair share." Mrs. Holmes grinned.

Later that evening, Sherlock and Vivienne were laying in bed after everyone had left. Mr and Mrs Holmes had decided to stay for a short visit and had taken John's old room for a couple days to be able to take Vivienne shopping for baby things.

"Did you see how excited your parents were? It was a good idea." Vivienne smiled and kissed Sherlock on the cheek.

"Whatever you say. I can't believe I was wrong."

"Well, wive's tales are called tales for a reason. It's all guesswork." Vivienne couldn't help but to laugh.

"Yeah, yeah."

"I'm going to get a drink of water. This baby-making business makes me thirsty."

Vivienne got out of bed and walked quietly into the kitchen. She filled up a cup at the sink and turned to lean her against the counter to take a drink when something caught her eye.

A teddy bear with a pink ribbon around its neck was occupying Sherlock's arm chair.

"Where did you come from?" She wondered out loud as she else to the bear and picked it up. She gasped out loud when she read the tag.

"Sherlock! Get in here!"

Sherlock stumbled down the hallway into the kitchen and looked around to find his wife. He saw her in the living room and walked to her slowly.

"What's the matter?"

Vivienne silently handed him the bear. Sherlock looked it over and grabbed the tag hanging from its neck. His eyes widened and his brow furrowed.

_Best of luck! - Jim ;)_

Xxxxx

**A/N: **Muahhahaha. Dun dun dun! Review, follow, favorite! Xoxo


	21. Chapter 21

**Fully Alive**

**Chapter Twenty-One**

**A/N: Changed the baby's name from "Norah Charlotte Elizabeth" to "Norah Charlotte Elise" in the last chapter because I was sitting there thinking that damn that name sounds really good. And then I remembered that the new Princess was Charlotte Elizabeth Diana and realized that's why I thought Charlotte &amp; Elizabeth went well together. Haha. So, I made a tiny change. And Vivienne said that Elizabeth was her middle name, so now that means her middle name is Elise. And I think Vivienne Elise sounds better. Lol... anyways... onwards to the story! **

Vivienne sat down her multiple shopping bags in John's old armchair with a sigh. Sherlock turned towards the noise from the kitchen table to see the look of distress on his wife's face.

"What are we going to do?" She asked, looking at Sherlock and rolled her eyes at the sight of him dressed in nothing but a bed sheet.

"About what? My parents buying all of the baby items on the greater London area?"

"You have no idea. There's more downstairs. We had to take three taxis to get here- wait. No! You are not changing the subject. What are we going to do about the bear and Jim? It's creepy."

"I took the bear to Bart's. Did x-rays and tested it for everything I could think of. It's clean. Nothing to worry about. I'm handling it."

"Sherlock. We can't have your- your arch-nemesis or whatever the fuck he is coming in here in the middle of the night and leaving creepy shit." Vivienne groaned in frustration.

"I said I'm handling it." Sherlock replied tensely.

"Oh, yes. Because you handle things so well. Do we need to mention how you've handled things just while I've been in the country?" Vivienne retorted. "Let's see... You flew to Pakistan to save The Woman. You thought you were poisoning John _on purpose_. You jumped off a building. Tried to singlehandedly take down a massive criminal web _while your friends thought you were dead_."

"You can stop now." Sherlock interrupted.

"I'm not finished. You jumped into a bonfire. You got fucking shot. Oh, and then you killed a man after drugging your entire family. So, I'm sorry if I don't exactly trust you to 'handle it'."

"Don't get cranky with me just because you're tired."

"Pot, meet kettle." Vivienne groaned. "We'll talk about this later. You're parents are upstairs changing so they can take us out to dinner. I don't think they'd appreciate you wearing our sheet."

"Hmph." Sherlock responded. "Do we have to go?"

Vivienne let out another groan as she felt her stomach tighten a bit.

Sherlock noticed the change in her expression. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it's nothing. Just walked too much today, is all."

She turned to go to the bedroom, but grabbed the door frame and let out a small yelp as her stomach tightened again, this time a bit painfully. She felt a warmth between her legs and looked down to see a small, red puddle forming at her feet. "We're not going to dinner."

"Oh, thank god. That would have been dreadful." Sherlock replied, not looking away from his work at the table

"No, we're not going to dinner because you need to take me to the hospital."

Sherlock turned to see Vivienne grip her stomach as pain ripped through her once more. His eyes widened at the blood on the floor. "Oh, fuck." was all he said as he rushed to his wife's side. "Just... just hang on." He ran to his die and shouted up the stairs. "Mother! Mrs. Hudson! I need you now!" His voice was frantic.

Mrs. Hudson and Mr. and Mrs. Holmes made it to the apartment at the same time. Sherlock pointed noiselessly at the kitchen and they rushed over to see Vivienne, her eyes clamped shut in pain and tears falling down her cheeks.

Mrs. Holmes turned to Sherlock and her husband. "Darling, you call an ambulance. Sherlock, put some clothes on."

The men obeyed the commands as the women helped Vivienne over to the couch.

* * *

"Well, we've got the labor and the bleeding stopped for now." Dr. Michaels said, looking over Vivienne's chart. "Have you been under any stress lately?"

Vivienne gave a dry chuckle. "You could say that, yes."

"And have you done anything out of the ordinary?"

"Went shopping today. Did a little more walking than I'm used to."

"How much walking?" Dr. Michaels asked, taking notes.

"About eight hours worth?" Vivienne shrugged.

"Alright, well, I'm putting you on bedrest until our next appointment. In about three weeks."

Vivienne's jaw practically hit the floor. "I have to stay in bed for three weeks?"

"Yes. No shopping, no cooking, no cleaning, no working. For three weeks. And no sex. I'm just being cautious here. We don't need you coming back until that baby is ready to make her appearance. On schedule. You can get up to go to the bathroom and take baths. Nothing else."

"What if there isn't a television in my bedroom?" Vivienne asked.

Sherlock scoffed. "I hardly think that's important."

Dr. Michaels smiled. "Okay. You can get out of bed, but only to go to the couch to lay and to the bathroom."

"This is ridiculous. I'm fine." Vivienne rolled her eyes.

"I hardly consider going into labor at nineteen weeks fine, Mrs. Holmes. If everything checks out at your next appointment, I'll take you off bedrest. We're going to keep you overnight for observation. If everything goes well overnight, you can go home tomorrow."

"Thank you..." Vivienne replied.

Dr. Michaels hand a small nod and left the room.

"You see what this is doing to me? I'm now stuck in bed for three weeks. Blame Jim. Fuck him. Fuck Jim Moriarty."

"Yes because walking for eight hours straight didn't do anything." Sherlock replied dryly.

"I would have been fine today if it wasn't for that stupid fucking bear. This is bullshit."

"Calm down. You're going to send yourself into labor again. We don't want that. She wouldn't be viable outside the womb right now." Sherlock looked up to check Vivienne's vitals on her monitors.

"You don't want that? Are you sure? One less thing you'd have to worry about." Vivienne snapped.

"I'm going to go let everyone know you're okay." Sherlock shook his head and walked away.

Vivienne saw the hurt expression he was trying to hide. "Sherlock- Sherlock, I'm sorry!" But it was too late, he was already out the door and down the hall.

* * *

Vivienne rolled over in her hospital bed to see Sherlock pacing in front of her window, hands shoved in his pockets.

"Are you going to sleep tonight or are you just going to wander around the room gripping John's pistol in your coat pocket all night?" She asked him sleepily.

Sherlock turned to face his wife. "How did you-?"

"I may not be a consulting detective, but I'm not stupid. I've learned a few things from you." Vivienne gave a half-smile. "Seriously, though. Are you alright?"

"Why do you ask?" Sherlock turned back to look back outside.

"I'm worried about you." Vivienne shrugged.

"I'm fine." Sherlock replied dismissively.

"I'm still worried about you." Vivienne scooted over in her hospital bed. "Come here, would you?"

Sherlock sighed and walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge. "I said I'm fine."

"I want to apologize. Because I said things earlier, hurtful things, that I shouldn't have. Things I didn't mean."

"Didn't you, though? Things said in anger usually have some truth to them somewhere."

"Well, I-" Vivienne bit her bottom lip. "Maybe I wouldn't think those things if you seemed a little more excited or at least acted like you care. You just seem indifferent."

"I don't want to talk about it." Sherlock glanced out the window again.

"Well, I do. So, talk. Prove me wrong. You know how much you love doing that."

Sherlock kept his gaze out the window, avoiding eye contact. "What if I don't love her?"

Vivienne reached out and put her hand on Sherlock's leg. "Do you love me?"

Sherlock looked at Vivienne, baffled at the question. "Love is just-"

"A chemical reaction. I know. I studied the brain, too. But that's not what I asked. Do you love me?"

"Well, of course I do. You know that." Sherlock laid his hand upon Vivienne's.

"And was it easy to fall in love with me? Even though it wasn't easy to get you to admit at the time."

"Easiest thing I've ever done. And I've done a lot."

Vivienne grinned. "You'll fall in love with her just as easily as you fell in love with me. She'll love you, too, just because you exist and are there for her. She'll look up to you."

"That's not worrisome at all." Sherlock rolled his eyes.

"You're a good man. I believe that with all my heart. But you've made mistakes. We all do. Nobody's perfect. But I love you because you're aren't perfect."

"I'm a drug addict that solves crimes as an alternative to getting high, Viv. I'm not father material. Hell, I'm barely husband material."

Vivienne sat up and lifted her hand to Sherlock's chin. She turned his face to her and laid her hand on his cheek. "You're a human being that has made mistakes. Get over it, my love. Newsflash, you have flaws. I have flaws. She will have flaws. But we still love you." She removed her hand from his cheek and took his hand in hers, moving it to her stomach. "Say something. Anything."

"What are you do-" Sherlock stopped as he felt a tiny, little bump hit his hand.

"You feel that?" Vivienne asked as it happened again. "That's what she does every time you speak. She doesn't care about your past. She doesn't care about the things you've done. And neither do I."

Sherlock couldn't think of anything to say so he leaned forward and kissed Vivienne.

"Go get some sleep. No one is going to try and come after me in a hospital."

Sherlock nodded wordlessly. He stood up but didn't move his hand from Vivienne's stomach. "I love you." He smiled a bit as he felt another kick.

"You telling me or her?"

Sherlock shrugged. "Both. Goodnight."

"I love you." Vivienne replied as Sherlock took his coat off and made himself as comfortable as he could on the small cot the nurse had provided for him.

"Thank you." He said quietly as he watched Vivienne lay back and quickly fall back asleep.

Xxxxx

**A/N: **Ugh. I feel like this story is getting away from me. I feel like it's too much fluff, not enough action. But I don't want to put too much action/bad stuff because I don't want to seem like I'm overdoing it. Review, follow, favorite? Xoxo


	22. Chapter 22

**Fully Alive**

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Sherlock walked into his flat to see Vivienne lying on the couch watching television. "How are you, darling?" He asked as he walked by, quickly bending over as he passed her to kiss her on the forehead.

"How do you think? I'm bored. Gran and your mother won't even let me walk up the stairs to get a change of scenery." Vivienne sat up and watched Sherlock drop a stack of files on the kitchen table.

"It's only a few more days until your appointment. You'll be fine. How much longer is my mother going to be here?" Sherlock asked, walking back into the living room.

"At least until my appointment. If they let me off house arrest, she's going to go home."

"Hmm." Sherlock replied, holding his hand out to Vivienne.

She accepted his hand on hers and he pulled her up off of the couch, placing his free hand on her hip. He pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers. Vivienne wrapped her arms around Sherlock's waist as their lips moved in unison.

Vivienne broke the kiss and pressed her forehead to his. "I want to suck your dick." She whispered bluntly.

"Well, that's a bit vulgar." Sherlock pulled his head away from her.

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. "You didn't think it was 'vulgar' the last time I did it."

"You didn't exactly express the sentiments out loud last time. You just... did it."

"Fine." Vivienne started to untuck Sherlock's shirt.

Sherlock chuckled and grabbed her wrists, stopping her. "Mm, no."

"Oh, come on. It's the least strenuous sexual thing I can do. The most trouble I'll have is getting up off my knees afterwards."

"My answer isn't going to change. The doctor said no sex. I'm assuming he meant every kind." Sherlock ran his hand through Vivienne's hair.

"Yes, because giving head is going to kill me." Vivienne sighed. "I know I haven't been very interested in sex lately, but it's like when your mom makes brownies and you're just like 'oh okay brownies' and then she tells you not to eat them because they're for after dinner. And then it's like you need a fucking brownie _right then_ and it's only because she told you no. The doctor said no sex, so now all I want is sex."

Sherlock grinned as he listened to his wife rant. He waited for a moment to make sure she was done. "It might not kill you, even just giving in once, but with two lives at stake, I can't do it."

"Give your heart back to the Wizard, Tin Man." Vivienne glared at him playfully.

"As soon as the doctor clears you, I will let you have your way with me. Within reason."

Vivienne pouted. "I'm holding you to that."

"Come look over these case files with me. Lestrade must think I'm going soft. He's given me the easy ones. Let's see how much you really have learned from me."

"Actually, I have something for you first."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes." Vivienne grinned. "I went and got something for you. Well, I had your mom pick it up. I paid for it weeks ago and I've been trying to keep a secret."

"I knew it. I knew you were keeping something from me."

"Just hold on." Vivienne walked out the door and called to Mrs. Holmes up the stairs. Sherlock heard Mrs. Holmes meet her on the landing and then go back up. Bicker walked back in holding a small...something...under her cardigan. "I wanted to surprise you. He won't take the place of Redbeard, but I saw him online and he was so cute and I didn't know if you liked any other breeds and..." She opened her sweater to reveal that she was holding an eight week old red Irish setter. "I've named him Toby. I hope you don't mind."

"Vivienne... why-?"

"I know you're nervous about the baby. So, I thought maybe taking care of a puppy might help you prepare a little." Vivienne bit her lip nervously. "Your mom thought it was a good idea. Mycroft came over to tell me just what a terrible idea it was. Side note, I don't think your mom told him about it, so I'm pretty sure he's spying on me. Or us, really. But, um, anyways... what do you think?"

"I think... that you are a very thoughtful wife." Sherlock stepped forward and took the puppy from Vivienne. He held Toby up to eye level and the small dog started wagging his tail. "Hello, Toby. Welcome home."

Vivienne grinned. "Let's look at those case files."

Vivienne and Sherlock say down at the table, with Toby curling up in Sherlock's lap, and he passed the first file over to Vivienne. "We'll start with the easiest."

Vivienne read over the file for a minute before declaring "It was the maid. Easy."

"Why was it the maid?" Sherlock asked.

"Because she said she was getting the mail. It was a Sunday. And the first thing I learned from Harry Potter is that there's no post on Sundays."

Sherlock looked impressed. He passed over the next one. "What about this?"

She scanned through the pages. "Butler."

"Why?"

"Because it's always the butler. Obviously." Vivienne gave Sherlock a cheeky grin. "This amateur detective I know taught me that one."

"I'm not an amateur." Sherlock growled.

"Never said I was talking about you." Vivienne winked.

"Oh, so you've known a lot of _amateur_ detectives, have you?"

"What can I say? I know what I like."

Sherlock just grinned and gave Vivienne a loving look.

"What's that face for?"

"Nothing." Sherlock shook his head, still grinning.

"You know, you could have any woman in the world if you wanted them. Why me?"

Sherlock shrugged. "I know what I like." He replied, mirroring Vivienne's words. "Can you tell me how you know it was the butler?"

"Wait, it really was the butler? I was just trying to fuck with you." Vivienne laughed. "I have absolutely no idea."

"Mm, I'll give you a hint. Look at the photographs of the shoe prints found by the husband."

"Oh. Okay, so..." Vivienne flipped through the file. "The prints were made by the husband's shoes. Size eleven. But..." She took a closer look. "They look like they were being worn by someone with smaller feet."

"What tells you that?" Sherlock smirked a little.

"There looks to be a little slippage in the print. Like the foot of the person wearing the shoe was sliding around inside of it. The only person in the house with smaller feet, besides the wife who had already been dead for an hour, was..." Vivienne scanned the page. "The butler. He's a size nine." Vivienne liked very proud of herself as she beamed at Sherlock.

Sherlock looked very proud as well. "Very good job. I could make a detective out of you yet."

"Well, my teacher is pretty good at what he does."

"This amateur detective you know?" Sherlock gave a low chuckle.

"Yep, that's the one."

"Well, if he's so good at his job, he might take offense to being called an amateur." Sherlock replied.

"Nah, I don't think so. He kind of has a thing for me." Vivienne grinned.

Sherlock gave Vivienne a confused look. "We are talking about me, aren't we?"

Vivienne laughed. "Of course we are. You're the only detective I like."

Sherlock smiled slyly as he tossed over another case file. "Here. Do this one before one of the grownups comes down and you get in trouble for being off the couch."

Vivienne reached out for her husband's hand. "Thank you. I needed this."

Sherlock winked. "You're welcome."

Xxxxx

**A/N: **Sorry this has taken so long! I got a little stuck on this one, sorry if it's not the greatest. Review, follow, favorite! Xoxo


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